Guided-wave transmission device with non-fundamental mode propagation and methods for use therewith

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a coupler that includes a tapered collar that surrounds a transmission wire. A coaxial coupler, that surrounds at least a portion of the transmission wire, guides an electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar. The tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to propagate along an outer surface of the transmission wire. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present U.S. Utility Patent Application claims priority pursuant to35 U.S.C. § 121 as a divisional of U.S. Utility application Ser. No.15/860,329, entitled “GUIDED-WAVE TRANSMISSION DEVICE WITHNON-FUNDAMENTAL MODE PROPAGATION AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH”, filedJan. 2, 2018, which is a divisional of U.S. Utility application Ser. No.14/627,322, entitled “GUIDED-WAVE TRANSMISSION DEVICE WITHNON-FUNDAMENTAL MODE PROPAGATION AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH”, filedFeb. 20, 2015, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,876,570 on Jan. 23, 2018, bothof which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entiretyand made part of the present U.S. Utility Patent Application for allpurposes.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to communications via microwavetransmission in a communication network.

BACKGROUND

As smart phones and other portable devices increasingly becomeubiquitous, and data usage increases, macrocell base station devices andexisting wireless infrastructure in turn require higher bandwidth toaddress the increased demand. To provide additional mobile bandwidth,small cell deployment is being pursued, with microcells and picocellsproviding coverage for much smaller areas than traditional macrocells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a guided-wave communications system in accordance withvarious aspects described herein.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupler in accordance with variousaspects described herein.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupler in accordance with variousaspects described herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupler in accordance with variousaspects described herein.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limitingembodiments of a dielectric waveguide coupler and transceiver inaccordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a dual dielectric waveguide coupler in accordance withvarious aspects described herein.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a bidirectional dielectric waveguide coupler in accordancewith various aspects described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a bidirectional dielectric waveguide coupler in accordancewith various aspects described herein.

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a bidirectional repeater system in accordance with variousaspects described herein.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limitingembodiment of a method for transmitting a transmission with a dielectricwaveguide coupler as described herein.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of acomputing environment in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of amobile network platform in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment ofa coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment ofa coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a guided-wave communication system in accordance withvarious aspects described herein.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a transmission device in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment ofan electromagnetic distribution in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments ofvarious electromagnetic distributions in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments ofvarious electromagnetic distributions in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein.

FIGS. 20A and 20B are a diagram illustrating example, non-limitingembodiments of a transmission medium in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a transmission device in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein.

FIG. 22 illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limitingembodiment of a method of selecting a carrier frequency as describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more embodiments are now described with reference to thedrawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to likeelements throughout. In the following description, for purposes ofexplanation, numerous details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the various embodiments. It is evident,however, that the various embodiments can be practiced without thesedetails (and without applying to any particular networked environment orstandard).

To provide network connectivity to additional base station devices, thebackhaul network that links the communication cells (e.g., microcellsand macrocells) to network devices of the core network correspondinglyexpands. Similarly, to provide network connectivity to a distributedantenna system, an extended communication system that links base stationdevices and their distributed antennas is desirable. A guided wavecommunication system can be provided to enable alternative, increased oradditional network connectivity and a waveguide coupling system can beprovided to transmit and/or receive guided wave (e.g., surface wave)communications on a wire, such as a wire that operates as a single-wiretransmission line (e.g., a utility line), that operates as a waveguideand/or that otherwise operates to guide the transmission of anelectromagnetic wave.

In an embodiment, a waveguide coupler that is utilized in a waveguidecoupling system can be made of a dielectric material, or other low-lossinsulator (e.g., Teflon, polyethylene and etc.), or even be made of aconducting (e.g., metallic, non-metallic, etc.) material, or anycombination of the foregoing materials. Reference throughout thedetailed description to “dielectric waveguide” is for illustrationpurposes and does not limit embodiments to being constructed solely ofdielectric materials. In other embodiments, other dielectric orinsulating materials are possible. It will be appreciated that a varietyof transmission media can be utilized with guided wave communicationswithout departing from example embodiments. Examples of suchtransmission media can include one or more of the following, eitheralone or in one or more combinations: wires, whether insulated or not,and whether single-stranded or multi-stranded; conductors of othershapes or configurations including wire bundles, cables, rods, rails,pipes; non-conductors such as dielectric pipes, rods, rails, or otherdielectric members; combinations of conductors and dielectric materials;or other guided wave transmission media.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a coupler thatincludes a tapered collar that surrounds a transmission wire. A coaxiallauncher that surrounds the transmission wire and guides anelectromagnetic wave to the tapered collar. The tapered collar couplesthe electromagnetic wave to propagate along an outer surface of thetransmission wire.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a transmission devicethat includes a communications interface that receives a communicationsignal that includes data. A transceiver generates an electromagneticwave based on the first communication signal to convey the data inaccordance with at least one selected electromagnetic (EM) mode. Acoupler is configured to receive and couple the electromagnetic wave toa transmission medium having an outer surface. The coupler includes aconductive ring and a tapered collar that surround the transmissionmedium. The conductive ring guides the electromagnetic wave to thetapered collar. The tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave topropagate along the outer surface of the transmission medium via the atleast one selected EM mode.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure is directed to a method thatincludes generating an electromagnetic wave to convey the data inaccordance with a non-fundamental mode having an electromagnetic (EM)field pattern with a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation. Themethod further includes coupling the electromagnetic wave to propagateon an outer surface of a transmission medium at a desired orientationwith respect to the transmission medium, such as a desired orientationthat aligns with an expected orientation of water droplet formation ofthe transmission medium.

Various embodiments described herein relate to a waveguide couplingsystem for launching and extracting guided wave (e.g., surface wavecommunications that are electromagnetic waves) transmissions from awire. At millimeter-wave frequencies (e.g., 30 to 300 GHz) or at lowermicrowave frequencies (e.g., 3 to 30 GHz), wherein the wavelength can besmall compared to the size of the equipment, transmissions can propagateas waves guided by a waveguide, such as a strip or length of dielectricmaterial or other coupler. The electromagnetic field structure of theguided wave can be inside and/or outside of the waveguide. When thiswaveguide is brought into close proximity to a wire (e.g., a utilityline or other transmission line), at least a portion of the guided wavesdecouples from the waveguide and couples to the wire, and continues topropagate as guided waves, such as surface waves about the surface ofthe wire.

According to an example embodiment, a surface wave is a type of guidedwave that is guided by a surface of the wire, which can include anexterior or outer surface of the wire, or another surface of the wirethat is adjacent to or exposed to another type of medium havingdifferent properties (e.g., dielectric properties). Indeed, in anexample embodiment, a surface of the wire that guides a surface wave canrepresent a transitional surface between two different types of media.For example, in the case of a bare or uninsulated wire, the surface ofthe wire can be the outer or exterior conductive surface of the bare oruninsulated wire that is exposed to air or free space. As anotherexample, in the case of insulated wire, the surface of the wire can bethe conductive portion of the wire that meets the insulator portion ofthe wire, or can otherwise be the insulator surface of the wire that isexposed to air or free space, or can otherwise be any material regionbetween the insulator surface of the wire and the conductive portion ofthe wire that meets the insulator portion of the wire, depending uponthe relative differences in the properties (e.g., dielectric properties)of the insulator, air, and/or the conductor and further dependent on thefrequency and propagation mode or modes of the guided wave.

According to an example embodiment, guided waves such as surface wavescan be contrasted with radio transmissions over free space/air orconventional propagation of electrical power or signals through theconductor of the wire. Indeed, with surface wave or guided wave systemsdescribed herein, conventional electrical power or signals can stillpropagate or be transmitted through the conductor of the wire, whileguided waves (including surface waves and other electromagnetic waves)can propagate or be transmitted about the surface of the wire, accordingto an example embodiment. In an embodiment, a surface wave can have afield structure (e.g., an electromagnetic field structure) that liesprimarily or substantially outside of the line, wire, or transmissionmedium that serves to guide the surface wave.

According to an example embodiment, the electromagnetic waves travelingalong the wire and around the outer surface of the wire are induced byother electromagnetic waves traveling along a waveguide in proximity tothe wire. The inducement of the electromagnetic waves can be independentof any electrical potential, charge or current that is injected orotherwise transmitted through the wires as part of an electricalcircuit. It is to be appreciated that while a small current in the wiremay be formed in response to the propagation of the electromagnetic wavealong the wire, this can be due to the propagation of theelectromagnetic wave along the wire surface, and is not formed inresponse to electrical potential, charge or current that is injectedinto the wire as part of an electrical circuit. The electromagneticwaves traveling on the wire therefore do not require a circuit topropagate along the wire surface. The wire therefore is a single wiretransmission line that is not part of a circuit. Also, in someembodiments, a wire is not necessary, and the electromagnetic waves canpropagate along a single line transmission medium that is not a wire.

According to an example embodiment, the term “about” a wire used inconjunction with a guided wave (e.g., surface wave) can includefundamental wave propagation modes and other guided waves having acircular or substantially circular field distribution (e.g., electricfield, magnetic field, electromagnetic field, etc.) at least partiallyaround a wire or other transmission medium. In addition, when a guidedwave propagates “about” a wire or other transmission medium, it can doso according to a wave propagation mode that includes not only thefundamental wave propagation modes (e.g., zero order modes), butadditionally or alternatively other non-fundamental wave propagationmodes such as higher-order guided wave modes (e.g., 1^(st) order modes,2^(nd) order modes, etc.), asymmetrical modes and/or other guided (e.g.,surface) waves that have non-circular field distributions around a wireor other transmission medium.

For example, such non-circular field distributions can be unilateral ormulti-lateral with one or more axial lobes characterized by relativelyhigher field strength and/or one or more nulls or null regions withlocal minima characterized by relatively low-field strength, zero-fieldstrength or substantially zero field strength. Further, the fielddistribution can otherwise vary as a function of azimuthal orientationaround the wire such that one or more regions of azimuthal orientationaround the wire have an electric or magnetic field strength (orcombination thereof) that is higher than one or more other regions ofazimuthal orientation, according to an example embodiment. It will beappreciated that the relative positions of the wave higher order modesor asymmetrical modes can vary as the guided wave travels along thewire.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a guided-wave communication system 100 isshown. Guided-wave communication system 100 depicts an exemplaryenvironment in which a transmission device, coupler or coupling modulecan be used.

Guided-wave communication system 100 can be a distributed antenna systemthat includes one or more base station devices (e.g., base stationdevice 104) that are communicably coupled to a macrocell site 102 orother network connection. Base station device 104 can be connected by awired (e.g., fiber and/or cable), or by a wireless (e.g., microwavewireless) connection to macrocell site 102. Macrocells such as macrocellsite 102 can have dedicated connections to the mobile network and basestation device 104 can share and/or otherwise use macrocell site 102'sconnection. Base station device 104 can be mounted on, or attached to,utility pole 116. In other embodiments, base station device 104 can benear transformers and/or other locations situated nearby a power line.

Base station device 104 can facilitate connectivity to a mobile networkfor mobile devices 122 and 124. Antennas 112 and 114, mounted on or nearutility poles 118 and 120, respectively, can receive signals from basestation device 104 and transmit those signals to mobile devices 122 and124 over a much wider area than if the antennas 112 and 114 were locatedat or near base station device 104.

It is noted that FIG. 1 displays three utility poles, with one basestation device, for purposes of simplicity. In other embodiments,utility pole 116 can have more base station devices, and one or moreutility poles with distributed antennas are possible.

A transmission device, such as dielectric waveguide coupling device 106can transmit the signal from base station device 104 to antennas 112 and114 via utility or power line(s) that connect the utility poles 116,118, and 120. To transmit the signal, radio source and/or coupler 106 upconverts the signal (e.g., via frequency mixing) from base stationdevice 104 or otherwise converts the signal from the base station device104 to a microwave or millimeter-wave band signal having at least onecarrier frequency in the microwave or millimeter-wave frequency band.The dielectric waveguide coupling device 106 launches a millimeter-waveband wave that propagates as a guided-wave (e.g., surface wave or otherelectromagnetic wave) traveling along the utility line or other wire. Atutility pole 118, another transmission device, such as dielectricwaveguide coupling device 108 that receives the guided-wave (andoptionally can amplify it as needed or desired or operate as a digitalrepeater to receive it and regenerate it) and sends it forward as aguided-wave (e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave) on theutility line or other wire. The dielectric waveguide coupling device 108can also extract a signal from the millimeter-wave band guided-wave andshift it down in frequency or otherwise convert it to its originalcellular band frequency (e.g., 1.9 GHz or other defined cellularfrequency) or another cellular (or non-cellular) band frequency. Anantenna 112 can transmit (e.g., wirelessly transmit) the downshiftedsignal to mobile device 122. The process can be repeated by anothertransmission device, such as dielectric waveguide coupling device 110,antenna 114 and mobile device 124, as necessary or desirable.

Transmissions from mobile devices 122 and 124 can also be received byantennas 112 and 114 respectively. Repeaters on dielectric waveguidecoupling devices 108 and 110 can upshift or otherwise convert thecellular band signals to microwave or millimeter-wave band and transmitthe signals as guided-wave (e.g., surface wave or other electromagneticwave) transmissions over the power line(s) to base station device 104.

In an example embodiment, system 100 can employ diversity paths, wheretwo or more utility lines or other wires are strung between the utilitypoles 116, 118, and 120 (e.g., for example, two or more wires betweenpoles 116 and 120) and redundant transmissions from base station 104 aretransmitted as guided-waves down the surface of the utility lines orother wires. The utility lines or other wires can be either insulated oruninsulated, and depending on the environmental conditions that causetransmission losses, the coupling devices can selectively receivesignals from the insulated or uninsulated utility lines or other wires.The selection can be based on measurements of the signal-to-noise ratioof the wires, or based on determined weather/environmental conditions(e.g., moisture detectors, weather forecasts, etc.). The use ofdiversity paths with system 100 can enable alternate routingcapabilities, load balancing, increased load handling, concurrentbi-directional or synchronous communications, spread spectrumcommunications, etc. (See FIG. 8 for more illustrative details).

It is noted that the use of the dielectric waveguide coupling devices106, 108, and 110 in FIG. 1 are by way of example only, and that inother embodiments, other uses are possible. For instance, dielectricwaveguide coupling devices can be used in a backhaul communicationsystem, providing network connectivity to base station devices.Dielectric waveguide coupling devices can be used in many circumstanceswhere it is desirable to transmit guided-wave communications over awire, whether insulated or not insulated. Dielectric waveguide couplingdevices are improvements over other coupling devices due to no contactor limited physical and/or electrical contact with the wires that maycarry high voltages. With dielectric waveguide coupling devices, theapparatus can be located away from the wire (e.g., spaced apart from thewire) and/or located on the wire so long as it is not electrically incontact with the wire, as the dielectric acts as an insulator, allowingfor cheap, easy, and/or less complex installation. However, aspreviously noted conducting or non-dielectric couplers can be employed,particularly in configurations where the wires correspond to a telephonenetwork, cable television network, broadband data service, fiber opticcommunications system or other network employing low voltages or havinginsulated transmission lines.

It is further noted, that while base station device 104 and macrocellsite 102 are illustrated in an example embodiment, other networkconfigurations are likewise possible. For example, devices such asaccess points or other wireless gateways can be employed in a similarfashion to extend the reach of other networks such as a wireless localarea network, a wireless personal area network or other wireless networkthat operates in accordance with a communication protocol such as a802.11 protocol, WIMAX protocol, Ultra Wideband protocol, Bluetoothprotocol, Zigbee protocol or other wireless protocol.

Turning now to FIG. 2, illustrated is a block diagram of an example,non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupling system 200 inaccordance with various aspects described herein. System 200 comprises adielectric waveguide 204 that has a wave 206 propagating as aguided-wave about a waveguide surface of the dielectric waveguide 204.In an example embodiment, the dielectric waveguide 204 is curved, and atleast a portion of the dielectric waveguide 204 can be placed near awire 202 in order to facilitate coupling between the dielectricwaveguide 204 and the wire 202, as described herein. The dielectricwaveguide 204 can be placed such that a portion of the curved dielectricwaveguide 204 is parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 202. Theportion of the dielectric waveguide 204 that is parallel to the wire canbe an apex of the curve, or any point where a tangent of the curve isparallel to the wire 202. When the dielectric waveguide 204 ispositioned or placed thusly, the wave 206 travelling along thedielectric waveguide 204 couples, at least in part, to the wire 202, andpropagates as guided-wave 208 around or about the wire surface of thewire 202 and longitudinally along the wire 202. The guided-wave 208 canbe characterized as a surface wave or other electromagnetic wave,although other types of guided-waves 208 can supported as well withoutdeparting from example embodiments. A portion of the wave 206 that doesnot couple to the wire 202 propagates as wave 210 along the dielectricwaveguide 204. It will be appreciated that the dielectric waveguide 204can be configured and arranged in a variety of positions in relation tothe wire 202 to achieve a desired level of coupling or non-coupling ofthe wave 206 to the wire 202. For example, the curvature and/or lengthof the dielectric waveguide 204 that is parallel or substantiallyparallel, as well as its separation distance (which can include zeroseparation distance in an example embodiment), to the wire 202 can bevaried without departing from example embodiments. Likewise, thearrangement of the dielectric waveguide 204 in relation to the wire 202may be varied based upon considerations of the respective intrinsiccharacteristics (e.g., thickness, composition, electromagneticproperties, etc.) of the wire 202 and the dielectric waveguide 204, aswell as the characteristics (e.g., frequency, energy level, etc.) of thewaves 206 and 208.

The guided-wave 208 propagates in a direction parallel or substantiallyparallel to the wire 202, even as the wire 202 bends and flexes. Bendsin the wire 202 can increase transmission losses, which are alsodependent on wire diameters, frequency, and materials. If the dimensionsof the dielectric waveguide 204 are chosen for efficient power transfer,most of the power in the wave 206 is transferred to the wire 202, withlittle power remaining in wave 210. It will be appreciated that theguided-wave 208 can still be multi-modal in nature (discussed herein),including having modes that are non-fundamental or asymmetric, whiletraveling along a path that is parallel or substantially parallel to thewire 202, with or without a fundamental transmission mode. In an exampleembodiment, non-fundamental or asymmetric modes can be utilized tominimize transmission losses and/or obtain increased propagationdistances.

It is noted that the term parallel is generally a geometric constructwhich often is not exactly achievable in real systems. Accordingly, theterm parallel as utilized in the subject disclosure represents anapproximation rather than an exact configuration when used to describeembodiments disclosed in the subject disclosure. In an exampleembodiment, substantially parallel can include approximations that arewithin 30 degrees of true parallel in all dimensions.

In an example embodiment, the wave 206 can exhibit one or more wavepropagation modes. The dielectric waveguide modes can be dependent onthe shape and/or design of the dielectric waveguide 204. The one or moredielectric waveguide modes of wave 206 can generate, influence, orimpact one or more wave propagation modes of the guided-wave 208propagating along wire 202. In an example embodiment, the wavepropagation modes on the wire 202 can be similar to the dielectricwaveguide modes since both waves 206 and 208 propagate about the outsideof the dielectric waveguide 204 and wire 202 respectively. In someembodiments, as the wave 206 couples to the wire 202, the modes canchange form due to the coupling between the dielectric waveguide 204 andthe wire 202. For example, differences in size, material, and/orimpedances of the dielectric waveguide 204 and the wire 202 may createadditional modes not present in the dielectric waveguide modes and/orsuppress some of the dielectric waveguide modes. The wave propagationmodes can comprise the fundamental transverse electromagnetic mode(Quasi-TEM₀₀), where only small electric and/or magnetic fields extendin the direction of propagation, and the electric and magnetic fieldsextend radially outwards while the guided-wave propagates along thewire. This guided-wave mode can be donut shaped, where few of theelectromagnetic fields exist within the dielectric waveguide 204 or wire202. Waves 206 and 208 can comprise a fundamental TEM mode where thefields extend radially outwards, and also comprise other,non-fundamental (e.g., asymmetric, higher-level, etc.) modes. Whileparticular wave propagation modes are discussed above, other wavepropagation modes are likewise possible such as transverse electric (TE)and transverse magnetic (TM) modes, based on the frequencies employed,the design of the dielectric waveguide 204, the dimensions andcomposition of the wire 202, as well as its surface characteristics, itsoptional insulation, the electromagnetic properties of the surroundingenvironment, etc. It should be noted that, depending on the frequency,the electrical and physical characteristics of the wire 202 and theparticular wave propagation modes that are generated, the guided-wave208 can travel along the conductive surface of an oxidized uninsulatedwire, an unoxidized uninsulated wire, an insulated wire and/or along theinsulating surface of an insulated wire.

In an example embodiment, a diameter of the dielectric waveguide 204 issmaller than the diameter of the wire 202. For the microwave ormillimeter-band wavelength being used, the dielectric waveguide 204supports a single waveguide mode that makes up wave 206. This singlewaveguide mode can change as it couples to the wire 202 as surface wave208. If the dielectric waveguide 204 were larger, more than onewaveguide mode can be supported, but these additional waveguide modesmay not couple to the wire 202 as efficiently, and higher couplinglosses can result. However, in some alternative embodiments, thediameter of the dielectric waveguide 204 can be equal to or larger thanthe diameter of the wire 202, for example, where higher coupling lossesare desirable or when used in conjunction with other techniques tootherwise reduce coupling losses (e.g., impedance matching withtapering, etc.).

In an example embodiment, the wavelength of the waves 206 and 208 arecomparable in size, or smaller than a circumference of the dielectricwaveguide 204 and the wire 202. In an example, if the wire 202 has adiameter of 0.5 cm, and a corresponding circumference of around 1.5 cm,the wavelength of the transmission is around 1.5 cm or less,corresponding to a frequency of 20 GHz or greater. In anotherembodiment, a suitable frequency of the transmission and thecarrier-wave signal is in the range of 30-100 GHz, perhaps around 30-60GHz, and around 38 GHz in one example. In an example embodiment, whenthe circumference of the dielectric waveguide 204 and wire 202 iscomparable in size to, or greater, than a wavelength of thetransmission, the waves 206 and 208 can exhibit multiple wavepropagation modes including fundamental and/or non-fundamental(symmetric and/or asymmetric) modes that propagate over sufficientdistances to support various communication systems described herein. Thewaves 206 and 208 can therefore comprise more than one type of electricand magnetic field configuration. In an example embodiment, as theguided-wave 208 propagates down the wire 202, the electrical andmagnetic field configurations will remain the same from end to end ofthe wire 202. In other embodiments, as the guided-wave 208 encountersinterference or loses energy due to transmission losses, the electricand magnetic field configurations can change as the guided-wave 208propagates down wire 202.

In an example embodiment, the dielectric waveguide 204 can be composedof nylon, Teflon, polyethylene, a polyamide, or other plastics. In otherembodiments, other dielectric materials are possible. The wire surfaceof wire 202 can be metallic with either a bare metallic surface, or canbe insulated using plastic, dielectric, insulator or other sheathing. Inan example embodiment, a dielectric or otherwisenon-conducting/insulated waveguide can be paired with either abare/metallic wire or insulated wire. In other embodiments, a metallicand/or conductive waveguide can be paired with a bare/metallic wire orinsulated wire. In an example embodiment, an oxidation layer on the baremetallic surface of the wire 202 (e.g., resulting from exposure of thebare metallic surface to oxygen/air) can also provide insulating ordielectric properties similar to those provided by some insulators orsheathings.

It is noted that the graphical representations of waves 206, 208 and 210are presented merely to illustrate the principles that wave 206 inducesor otherwise launches a guided-wave 208 on a wire 202 that operates, forexample, as a single wire transmission line. Wave 210 represents theportion of wave 206 that remains on the dielectric waveguide 204 afterthe generation of guided-wave 208. The actual electric and magneticfields generated as a result of such wave propagation may vary dependingon the frequencies employed, the particular wave propagation mode ormodes, the design of the dielectric waveguide 204, the dimensions andcomposition of the wire 202, as well as its surface characteristics, itsoptional insulation, the electromagnetic properties of the surroundingenvironment, etc.

It is noted that dielectric waveguide 204 can include a terminationcircuit or damper 214 at the end of the dielectric waveguide 204 thatcan absorb leftover radiation or energy from wave 210. The terminationcircuit or damper 214 can prevent and/or minimize the leftover radiationfrom wave 210 reflecting back toward transmitter circuit 212. In anexample embodiment, the termination circuit or damper 214 can includetermination resistors, and/or other components that perform impedancematching to attenuate reflection. In some embodiments, if the couplingefficiencies are high enough, and/or wave 210 is sufficiently small, itmay not be necessary to use a termination circuit or damper 214. For thesake of simplicity, these transmitter and termination circuits ordampers 212 and 214 are not depicted in the other figures, but in thoseembodiments, transmitter and termination circuits or dampers maypossibly be used.

Further, while a single dielectric waveguide 204 is presented thatgenerates a single guided-wave 208, multiple dielectric waveguides 204placed at different points along the wire 202 and/or at different axialorientations about the wire can be employed to generate and receivemultiple guided-waves 208 at the same or different frequencies, at thesame or different phases, and/or at the same or different wavepropagation modes. The guided-wave or waves 208 can be modulated toconvey data via a modulation technique such as phase shift keying,frequency shift keying, quadrature amplitude modulation, amplitudemodulation, multi-carrier modulation and via multiple access techniquessuch as frequency division multiplexing, time division multiplexing,code division multiplexing, multiplexing via differing wave propagationmodes and via other modulation and access strategies.

Turning now to FIG. 3, illustrated is a block diagram of an example,non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupling system 300 inaccordance with various aspects described herein. System 300 implementsa coupler that comprises a dielectric waveguide 304 and a wire 302 thathas a wave 306 propagating as a guided-wave about a wire surface of thewire 302. In an example embodiment, the wave 306 can be characterized asa surface wave or other electromagnetic wave.

In an example embodiment, the dielectric waveguide 304 is curved orotherwise has a curvature, and can be placed near a wire 302 such that aportion of the curved dielectric waveguide 304 is parallel orsubstantially parallel to the wire 302. The portion of the dielectricwaveguide 304 that is parallel to the wire can be an apex of the curve,or any point where a tangent of the curve is parallel to the wire 302.When the dielectric waveguide 304 is near the wire, the guided-wave 306travelling along the wire 302 can couple to the dielectric waveguide 304and propagate as guided-wave 308 about the dielectric waveguide 304. Aportion of the guided-wave 306 that does not couple to the dielectricwaveguide 304 propagates as guided-wave 310 (e.g., surface wave or otherelectromagnetic wave) along the wire 302.

The guided-waves 306 and 308 stay parallel to the wire 302 anddielectric waveguide 304, respectively, even as the wire 302 anddielectric waveguide 304 bend and flex. Bends can increase transmissionlosses, which are also dependent on wire diameters, frequency, andmaterials. If the dimensions of the dielectric waveguide 304 are chosenfor efficient power transfer, most of the energy in the guided-wave 306is coupled to the dielectric waveguide 304 and little remains inguided-wave 310.

In an example embodiment, a receiver circuit can be placed on the end ofdielectric waveguide 304 in order to receive wave 308. A terminationcircuit can be placed on the opposite end of the dielectric waveguide304 in order to receive guided-waves traveling in the opposite directionto guided-wave 306 that couple to the dielectric waveguide 304. Thetermination circuit would thus prevent and/or minimize reflections beingreceived by the receiver circuit. If the reflections are small, thetermination circuit may not be necessary.

It is noted that the dielectric waveguide 304 can be configured suchthat selected polarizations of the surface wave 306 are coupled to thedielectric waveguide 304 as guided-wave 308. For instance, ifguided-wave 306 is made up of guided-waves or wave propagation modeswith respective polarizations, dielectric waveguide 304 can beconfigured to receive one or more guided-waves of selectedpolarization(s). Guided-wave 308 that couples to the dielectricwaveguide 304 is thus the set of guided-waves that correspond to one ormore of the selected polarization(s), and further guided-wave 310 cancomprise the guided-waves that do not match the selectedpolarization(s).

The dielectric waveguide 304 can be configured to receive guided-wavesof a particular polarization based on an angle/rotation around the wire302 that the dielectric waveguide 304 is placed (the axial orientationof the coupler) and the axial pattern of the field structure of theguided-waves. For instance, if the coupler is oriented to feed theguided-waves along the horizontal access and if the guided-wave 306 ispolarized horizontally (i.e. the filed structure of the guided-waves areconcentrated on the horizontal axis), most of the guided-wave 306transfers to the dielectric waveguide as wave 308. In another instance,if the dielectric waveguide 304 is rotated 90 degrees around the wire302, most of the energy from guided-wave 306 would remain coupled to thewire as guided-wave 310, and only a small portion would couple to thewire 302 as wave 308.

It is noted that waves 306, 308, and 310 are shown using three circularsymbols in FIG. 3 and in other figures in the specification. Thesesymbols are used to represent a general guided-wave, but do not implythat the waves 306, 308, and 310 are necessarily circularly polarized orotherwise circularly oriented. In fact, waves 306, 308, and 310 cancomprise a fundamental TEM mode where the fields extend radiallyoutwards, and also comprise other, non-fundamental (e.g. higher-level,etc.) modes. These modes can be asymmetric (e.g., radial, bilateral,trilateral, quadrilateral, etc,) in nature as well.

It is noted also that guided-wave communications over wires can be fullduplex, allowing simultaneous communications in both directions. Wavestraveling one direction can pass through waves traveling in an oppositedirection. Electromagnetic fields may cancel out at certain points andfor short times due to the superposition principle as applied to waves.The waves traveling in opposite directions propagate as if the otherwaves weren't there, but the composite effect to an observer may be astationary standing wave pattern. As the guided-waves pass through eachother and are no longer in a state of superposition, the interferencesubsides. As a guided-wave (e.g., surface wave or other electromagneticwave) couples to a waveguide and moves away from the wire, anyinterference due to other guided-waves (e.g., surface waves or otherelectromagnetic waves) decreases. In an example embodiment, asguided-wave 306 (e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave)approaches dielectric waveguide 304, another guided-wave (e.g., surfacewave or other electromagnetic wave) (not shown) traveling from left toright on the wire 302 passes by causing local interference. Asguided-wave 306 couples to dielectric waveguide 304 as wave 308, andmoves away from the wire 302, any interference due to the passingguided-wave subsides.

It is noted that the graphical representations of electromagnetic waves306, 308 and 310 are presented merely to illustrate the principles thatguided-wave 306 induces or otherwise launches a wave 308 on a dielectricwaveguide 304. Guided-wave 310 represents the portion of guided-wave 306that remains on the wire 302 after the generation of wave 308. Theactual electric and magnetic fields generated as a result of suchguided-wave propagation may vary depending on one or more of the shapeand/or design of the dielectric waveguide, the relative position of thedielectric waveguide to the wire, the frequencies employed, the designof the dielectric waveguide 304, the dimensions and composition of thewire 302, as well as its surface characteristics, its optionalinsulation, the electromagnetic properties of the surroundingenvironment, etc.

Turning now to FIG. 4, illustrated is a block diagram of an example,non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupling system 400 inaccordance with various aspects described herein. System 400 implementsa coupler that comprises a dielectric waveguide 404 that has a wave 406propagating as a guided-wave about a waveguide surface of the dielectricwaveguide 404. In an example embodiment, the dielectric waveguide 404 iscurved, and an end of the dielectric waveguide 404 can be tied,fastened, or otherwise mechanically coupled to a wire 402. When the endof the dielectric waveguide 404 is fastened to the wire 402, the end ofthe dielectric waveguide 404 is parallel or substantially parallel tothe wire 402. Alternatively, another portion of the dielectric waveguidebeyond an end can be fastened or coupled to wire 402 such that thefastened or coupled portion is parallel or substantially parallel to thewire 402. The coupling device 410 can be a nylon cable tie or other typeof non-conducting/dielectric material that is either separate from thedielectric waveguide 404 or constructed as an integrated component ofthe dielectric waveguide 404. In other embodiments, the dielectricwaveguide 404 can be mechanically uncoupled from the wire 402 leaving anair gap between the coupler and the wire 402. The dielectric waveguide404 can be adjacent to the wire 402 without surrounding the wire 402.

When the dielectric waveguide 404 is placed with the end parallel to thewire 402, the guided-wave 406 travelling along the dielectric waveguide404 couples to the wire 402, and propagates as guided-wave 408 about thewire surface of the wire 402. In an example embodiment, the guided-wave408 can be characterized as a surface wave or other electromagneticwave.

It is noted that the graphical representations of waves 406 and 408 arepresented merely to illustrate the principles that wave 406 induces orotherwise launches a guided-wave 408 on a wire 402 that operates, forexample, as a single wire transmission line. The actual electric andmagnetic fields generated as a result of such wave propagation may varydepending on one or more of the shape and/or design of the dielectricwaveguide, the relative position of the dielectric waveguide to thewire, the frequencies employed, the design of the dielectric waveguide404, the dimensions and composition of the wire 402, as well as itssurface characteristics, its optional insulation, the electromagneticproperties of the surrounding environment, etc.

In an example embodiment, an end of dielectric waveguide 404 can tapertowards the wire 402 in order to increase coupling efficiencies. Indeed,the tapering of the end of the dielectric waveguide 404 can provideimpedance matching to the wire 402, according to an example embodimentof the subject disclosure. For example, an end of the dielectricwaveguide 404 can be gradually tapered in order to obtain a desiredlevel of coupling between waves 406 and 408 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

In an example embodiment, the coupling device 410 can be placed suchthat there is a short length of the dielectric waveguide 404 between thecoupling device 410 and an end of the dielectric waveguide 404. Maximumcoupling efficiencies are realized when the length of the end of thedielectric waveguide 404 that is beyond the coupling device 410 is atleast several wavelengths long for whatever frequency is beingtransmitted, however shorter lengths are also possible.

Turning now to FIG. 5A, illustrated is a block diagram of an example,non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupler andtransceiver system 500 (referred to herein collectively as system 500)in accordance with various aspects described herein. System 500comprises a transmitter/receiver device 506 that launches and receiveswaves (e.g., guided wave 504 onto dielectric waveguide 502). The guidedwaves 504 can be used to transport signals received from and sent to abase station 520, mobile devices 522, or a building 524 by way of acommunications interface 501. The communications interface 501 can be anintegral part of system 500. Alternatively, the communications interface501 can be tethered to system 500. The communications interface 501 cancomprise a wireless interface for interfacing to the base station 520,the mobile devices 522, or building 524 utilizing any of variouswireless signaling protocols (e.g., LTE, WiFi, WiMAX, IEEE 802.xx,etc.). The communications interface 501 can also comprise a wiredinterface such as a fiber optic line, coaxial cable, twisted pair, orother suitable wired mediums for transmitting signals to the basestation 520 or building 524. For embodiments where system 500 functionsas a repeater, the communications interface 501 may not be necessary.

The output signals (e.g., Tx) of the communications interface 501 can becombined with a millimeter-wave carrier wave generated by a localoscillator 512 at frequency mixer 510. Frequency mixer 510 can useheterodyning techniques or other frequency shifting techniques tofrequency shift the output signals from communications interface 501.For example, signals sent to and from the communications interface 501can be modulated signals such as orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexed (OFDM) signals formatted in accordance with a Long-TermEvolution (LTE) wireless protocol or other wireless 3G, 4G, 5G or highervoice and data protocol, a Zigbee, WIMAX, UltraWideband or IEEE 802.11wireless protocol or other wireless protocol. In an example embodiment,this frequency conversion can be done in the analog domain, and as aresult, the frequency shifting can be done without regard to the type ofcommunications protocol that the base station 520, mobile devices 522,or in-building devices 524 use. As new communications technologies aredeveloped, the communications interface 501 can be upgraded or replacedand the frequency shifting and transmission apparatus can remain,simplifying upgrades. The carrier wave can then be sent to a poweramplifier (“PA”) 514 and can be transmitted via the transmitter/receiverdevice 506 via the diplexer 516.

Signals received from the transmitter/receiver device 506 that aredirected towards the communications interface 501 can be separated fromother signals via diplexer 516. The transmission can then be sent to lownoise amplifier (“LNA”) 518 for amplification. A frequency mixer 521,with help from local oscillator 512 can downshift the transmission(which is in the millimeter-wave band or around 38 GHz in someembodiments) to the native frequency. The communications interface 501can then receive the transmission at an input port (Rx).

In an embodiment, transmitter/receiver device 506 can include acylindrical or non-cylindrical metal (which, for example, can be hollowin an embodiment, but not necessarily drawn to scale) or otherconducting or non-conducting waveguide and an end of the dielectricwaveguide 502 can be placed in or in proximity to the waveguide or thetransmitter/receiver device 506 such that when the transmitter/receiverdevice 506 generates a transmission, the guided wave couples todielectric waveguide 502 and propagates as a guided wave 504 about thewaveguide surface of the dielectric waveguide 502. In some embodiments,the guided wave 504 can propagate in part on the outer surface of thedielectric waveguide 502 and in part inside the dielectric waveguide502. In other embodiments, the guided wave 504 can propagatesubstantially or completely on the outer surface of the dielectricwaveguide 502. In yet other embodiments, the guided wave 504 canpropagate substantially or completely inside the dielectric waveguide502. In this latter embodiment, the guided wave 504 can radiate at anend of the dielectric waveguide 502 (such as the tapered end shown inFIG. 4) for coupling to a transmission medium such as a wire 402 of FIG.4. Similarly, if guided wave 504 is incoming (coupled to the dielectricwaveguide 502 from a wire), guided wave 504 then enters thetransmitter/receiver device 506 and couples to the cylindrical waveguideor conducting waveguide. While transmitter/receiver device 506 is shownto include a separate waveguide—an antenna, cavity resonator, klystron,magnetron, travelling wave tube, or other radiating element can beemployed to induce a guided wave on the waveguide 502, without theseparate waveguide.

In an embodiment, dielectric waveguide 502 can be wholly constructed ofa dielectric material (or another suitable insulating material), withoutany metallic or otherwise conducting materials therein. Dielectricwaveguide 502 can be composed of nylon, Teflon, polyethylene, apolyamide, other plastics, or other materials that are non-conductingand suitable for facilitating transmission of electromagnetic waves atleast in part on an outer surface of such materials. In anotherembodiment, dielectric waveguide 502 can include a core that isconducting/metallic, and have an exterior dielectric surface. Similarly,a transmission medium that couples to the dielectric waveguide 502 forpropagating electromagnetic waves induced by the dielectric waveguide502 or for supplying electromagnetic waves to the dielectric waveguide502 can be wholly constructed of a dielectric material (or anothersuitable insulating material), without any metallic or otherwiseconducting materials therein.

It is noted that although FIG. 5A shows that the opening of transmitterreceiver device 506 is much wider than the dielectric waveguide 502,this is not to scale, and that in other embodiments the width of thedielectric waveguide 502 is comparable or slightly smaller than theopening of the hollow waveguide. It is also not shown, but in anembodiment, an end of the waveguide 502 that is inserted into thetransmitter/receiver device 506 tapers down in order to reducereflection and increase coupling efficiencies.

The transmitter/receiver device 506 can be communicably coupled to acommunications interface 501, and alternatively, transmitter/receiverdevice 506 can also be communicably coupled to the one or moredistributed antennas 112 and 114 shown in FIG. 1. In other embodiments,transmitter/receiver device 506 can comprise part of a repeater systemfor a backhaul network.

Before coupling to the dielectric waveguide 502, the one or morewaveguide modes of the guided wave generated by the transmitter/receiverdevice 506 can couple to the dielectric waveguide 502 to induce one ormore wave propagation modes of the guided wave 504. The wave propagationmodes of the guided wave 504 can be different than the hollow metalwaveguide modes due to the different characteristics of the hollow metalwaveguide and the dielectric waveguide. For instance, wave propagationmodes of the guide wave 504 can comprise the fundamental transverseelectromagnetic mode (Quasi-TEM₀₀), where only small electrical and/ormagnetic fields extend in the direction of propagation, and the electricand magnetic fields extend radially outwards from the dielectricwaveguide 502 while the guided waves propagate along the dielectricwaveguide 502. The fundamental transverse electromagnetic mode wavepropagation mode may not exist inside a waveguide that is hollow.Therefore, the hollow metal waveguide modes that are used bytransmitter/receiver device 506 are waveguide modes that can coupleeffectively and efficiently to wave propagation modes of dielectricwaveguide 502.

It will be appreciated that other constructs or combinations of thetransmitter/receiver device 506 and dielectric waveguide 502 arepossible. For example, a dielectric waveguide 502′ can be placedtangentially or in parallel (with or without a gap) with respect to anouter surface of the hollow metal waveguide of the transmitter/receiverdevice 506′ (corresponding circuitry not shown) as depicted by reference500′ of FIG. 5B. In another embodiment, not shown by reference 500′, thedielectric waveguide 502′ can be placed inside the hollow metalwaveguide of the transmitter/receiver device 506′ without an axis of thedielectric waveguide 502′ being coaxially aligned with an axis of thehollow metal waveguide of the transmitter/receiver device 506′. Ineither of these embodiments, the guided wave generated by thetransmitter/receiver device 506′ can couple to a surface of thedielectric waveguide 502′ to induce one or more wave propagation modesof the guided wave 504′ on the dielectric waveguide 502′ including afundamental mode (e.g., a symmetric mode) and/or a non-fundamental mode(e.g., asymmetric mode).

In one embodiment, the guided wave 504′ can propagate in part on theouter surface of the dielectric waveguide 502′ and in part inside thedielectric waveguide 502′. In another embodiment, the guided wave 504′can propagate substantially or completely on the outer surface of thedielectric waveguide 502′. In yet other embodiments, the guided wave504′ can propagate substantially or completely inside the dielectricwaveguide 502′. In this latter embodiment, the guide wave 504′ canradiate at an end of the dielectric waveguide 502′ (such as the taperedend shown in FIG. 4) for coupling to a transmission medium such as awire 402 of FIG. 4.

It will be further appreciated that other constructs thetransmitter/receiver device 506 are possible. For example, a hollowmetal waveguide of a transmitter/receiver device 506″ (correspondingcircuitry not shown), depicted in FIG. 5B as reference 500″, can beplaced tangentially or in parallel (with or without a gap) with respectto an outer surface of a transmission medium such as the wire 402 ofFIG. 4 without the use of the dielectric waveguide 502. In thisembodiment, the guided wave generated by the transmitter/receiver device506″ can couple to a surface of the wire 402 to induce one or more wavepropagation modes of a guided wave 408 on the wire 402 including afundamental mode (e.g., a symmetric mode) and/or a non-fundamental mode(e.g., asymmetric mode). In another embodiment, the wire 402 can bepositioned inside a hollow metal waveguide of a transmitter/receiverdevice 506″′ (corresponding circuitry not shown) so that an axis of thewire 402 is coaxially (or not coaxially) aligned with an axis of thehollow metal waveguide without the use of the dielectric waveguide502—see FIG. 5B reference 500″′. In this embodiment, the guided wavegenerated by the transmitter/receiver device 506″′ can couple to asurface of the wire 402 to induce one or more wave propagation modes ofa guided wave 408 on the wire including a fundamental mode (e.g., asymmetric mode) and/or a non-fundamental mode (e.g., asymmetric mode).

In the embodiments of 500″ and 500″′, the guided wave 408 can propagatein part on the outer surface of the wire 402 and in part inside the wire402. In another embodiment, the guided wave 408 can propagatesubstantially or completely on the outer surface of the wire 402. Thewire 402 can be a bare conductor or a conductor with an insulated outersurface.

Turning now to FIG. 6, illustrated is a block diagram illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a dual dielectric waveguide couplingsystem 600 in accordance with various aspects described herein. In anexample embodiment, a coupling module is shown with two or moredielectric waveguides (e.g., 604 and 606) positioned around a wire 602in order to receive guided-wave 608. In an example embodiment, theguided-wave 608 can be characterized as a surface wave or otherelectromagnetic wave. In an example embodiment, one dielectric waveguideis enough to receive the guided-wave 608. In that case, guided-wave 608couples to dielectric waveguide 604 and propagates as guided-wave 610.If the field structure of the guided-wave 608 oscillates or undulatesaround the wire 602 due to various outside factors, then dielectricwaveguide 606 can be placed such that guided-wave 608 couples todielectric waveguide 606. In some embodiments, four or more dielectricwaveguides can be placed around a portion of the wire 602, e.g., at 90degrees or another spacing with respect to each other, in order toreceive guided-waves that may oscillate or rotate around the wire 602,that have been induced at different axial orientations or that havenon-fundamental or higher order modes that, for example, have lobesand/or nulls or other asymmetries that are orientation dependent.However, it will be appreciated that there may be less than or more thanfour dielectric waveguides placed around a portion of the wire 602without departing from example embodiments. It will also be appreciatedthat while some example embodiments have presented a plurality ofdielectric waveguides around at least a portion of a wire 602, thisplurality of dielectric waveguides can also be considered as part of asingle dielectric waveguide system having multiple dielectric waveguidesubcomponents. For example, two or more dielectric waveguides can bemanufactured as single system that can be installed around a wire in asingle installation such that the dielectric waveguides are eitherpre-positioned or adjustable relative to each other (either manually orautomatically) in accordance with the single system. Receivers coupledto dielectric waveguides 606 and 604 can use diversity combining tocombine signals received from both dielectric waveguides 606 and 604 inorder to maximize the signal quality. In other embodiments, if one orthe other of a dielectric waveguide 604 and 606 receives a transmissionthat is above a predetermined threshold, receivers can use selectiondiversity when deciding which signal to use.

It is noted that the graphical representations of waves 608 and 610 arepresented merely to illustrate the principles that guided-wave 608induces or otherwise launches a wave 610 on a dielectric waveguide 604.The actual electric and magnetic fields generated as a result of suchwave propagation may vary depending on the frequencies employed, thedesign of the dielectric waveguide 604, the dimensions and compositionof the wire 602, as well as its surface characteristics, its optionalinsulation, the electromagnetic properties of the surroundingenvironment, etc.

Turning now to FIG. 7, illustrated is a block diagram of an example,non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional dielectric waveguide couplingsystem 700 in accordance with various aspects described herein. Such asystem 700 implements a transmission device with a coupling module thatincludes two dielectric waveguides 704 and 714 can be placed near a wire702 such that guided-waves (e.g., surface waves or other electromagneticwaves) propagating along the wire 702 are coupled to dielectricwaveguide 704 as wave 706, and then are boosted or repeated by repeaterdevice 710 and launched as a guided-wave 716 onto dielectric waveguide714. The guided-wave 716 can then couple to wire 702 and continue topropagate along the wire 702. In an example embodiment, the repeaterdevice 710 can receive at least a portion of the power utilized forboosting or repeating through magnetic coupling with the wire 702, whichcan be a power line.

In some embodiments, repeater device 710 can repeat the transmissionassociated with wave 706, and in other embodiments, repeater device 710can be associated with a distributed antenna system and/or base stationdevice located near the repeater device 710. Receiver waveguide 708 canreceive the wave 706 from the dielectric waveguide 704 and transmitterwaveguide 712 can launch guided-wave 716 onto dielectric waveguide 714.Between receiver waveguide 708 and transmitter waveguide 712, the signalcan be amplified to correct for signal loss and other inefficienciesassociated with guided-wave communications or the signal can be receivedand processed to extract the data contained therein and regenerated fortransmission. In an example embodiment, a signal can be extracted fromthe transmission and processed and otherwise emitted to mobile devicesnearby via distributed antennas communicably coupled to the repeaterdevice 710. Similarly, signals and/or communications received by thedistributed antennas can be inserted into the transmission that isgenerated and launched onto dielectric waveguide 714 by transmitterwaveguide 712. Accordingly, the repeater system 700 depicted in FIG. 7can be comparable in function to the dielectric waveguide couplingdevice 108 and 110 in FIG. 1.

It is noted that although FIG. 7 shows guided-wave transmissions 706 and716 entering from the left and exiting to the right respectively, thisis merely a simplification and is not intended to be limiting. In otherembodiments, receiver waveguide 708 and transmitter waveguide 712 canalso function as transmitters and receivers respectively, allowing therepeater device 710 to be bi-directional.

In an example embodiment, repeater device 710 can be placed at locationswhere there are discontinuities or obstacles on the wire 702. Theseobstacles can include transformers, connections, utility poles, andother such power line devices. The repeater device 710 can help theguided (e.g., surface) waves jump over these obstacles on the line andboost the transmission power at the same time. In other embodiments, adielectric waveguide can be used to jump over the obstacle without theuse of a repeater device. In that embodiment, both ends of thedielectric waveguide can be tied or fastened to the wire, thus providinga path for the guided-wave to travel without being blocked by theobstacle.

Turning now to FIG. 8, illustrated is a block diagram of an example,non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional dielectric waveguide coupler800 in accordance with various aspects described herein. Thebidirectional dielectric waveguide coupler 800 implements a transmissiondevice with a coupling module that can employ diversity paths in thecase of when two or more wires are strung between utility poles. Sinceguided-wave transmissions have different transmission efficiencies andcoupling efficiencies for insulated wires and un-insulated wires basedon weather, precipitation and atmospheric conditions, it can beadvantageous to selectively transmit on either an insulated wire orun-insulated wire at certain times.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the repeater device uses a receiverwaveguide 808 to receive a guided-wave traveling along uninsulated wire802 and repeats the transmission using transmitter waveguide 810 as aguided-wave along insulated wire 804. In other embodiments, repeaterdevice can switch from the insulated wire 804 to the un-insulated wire802, or can repeat the transmissions along the same paths. Repeaterdevice 806 can include sensors, or be in communication with sensors thatindicate conditions that can affect the transmission. Based on thefeedback received from the sensors, the repeater device 806 can make thedetermination about whether to keep the transmission along the samewire, or transfer the transmission to the other wire.

Turning now to FIG. 9, illustrated is a block diagram illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional repeater system 900.Bidirectional repeater system 900 implements a transmission device witha coupling module that includes waveguide coupling devices 902 and 904that receive and transmit transmissions from other coupling deviceslocated in a distributed antenna system or backhaul system.

In various embodiments, waveguide coupling device 902 can receive atransmission from another waveguide coupling device, wherein thetransmission has a plurality of subcarriers. Diplexer 906 can separatethe transmission from other transmissions, for example by filtration,and direct the transmission to low-noise amplifier (“LNA”) 908. Afrequency mixer 928, with help from a local oscillator 912, candownshift the transmission (which is in the millimeter-wave band oraround 38 GHz in some embodiments) to a lower frequency, whether it is acellular band (˜1.9 GHz) for a distributed antenna system, a nativefrequency, or other frequency for a backhaul system. An extractor 932can extract the signal on the subcarrier that corresponds to the antennaor other output component 922 and direct the signal to the outputcomponent 922. For the signals that are not being extracted at thisantenna location, extractor 932 can redirect them to another frequencymixer 936, where the signals are used to modulate a carrier wavegenerated by local oscillator 914. The carrier wave, with itssubcarriers, is directed to a power amplifier (“PA”) 916 and isretransmitted by waveguide coupling device 904 to another repeatersystem, via diplexer 920.

At the output device 922, a PA 924 can boost the signal for transmissionto the mobile device. An LNA 926 can be used to amplify weak signalsthat are received from the mobile device and then send the signal to amultiplexer 934 which merges the signal with signals that have beenreceived from waveguide coupling device 904. The output device 922 canbe coupled to an antenna in a distributed antenna system or otherantenna via, for example, a diplexer, duplexer or a transmit receiveswitch not specifically shown. The signals received from coupling device904 have been split by diplexer 920, and then passed through LNA 918,and downshifted in frequency by frequency mixer 938. When the signalsare combined by multiplexer 934, they are upshifted in frequency byfrequency mixer 930, and then boosted by PA 910, and transmitted back tothe launcher or on to another repeater by waveguide coupling device 902.In an example embodiment, the bidirectional repeater system 900 can bejust a repeater without the antenna/output device 922. It will beappreciated that in some embodiments, a bidirectional repeater system900 could also be implemented using two distinct and separateuni-directional repeaters. In an alternative embodiment, a bidirectionalrepeater system 900 could also be a booster or otherwise performretransmissions without downshifting and upshifting. Indeed in exampleembodiment, the retransmissions can be based upon receiving a signal orguided-wave and performing some signal or guided-wave processing orreshaping, filtering, and/or amplification, prior to retransmission ofthe signal or guided-wave.

FIG. 10 illustrates a process in connection with the aforementionedsystems. The process in FIG. 10 can be implemented for example bysystems 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, and 900 illustrated inFIGS. 1-9 respectively. While for purposes of simplicity of explanation,the methods are shown and described as a series of blocks, it is to beunderstood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is notlimited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described hereinafter.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limitingembodiment of a method for transmitting a transmission with a dielectricwaveguide coupler as described herein. Method 1000 can begin at 1002where a first electromagnetic wave is emitted by a transmission devicethat propagates at least in part on a waveguide surface of a waveguide,wherein the waveguide surface of the waveguide does not surround inwhole or in substantial part a wire surface of a wire. The transmissionthat is generated by a transmitter can be based on a signal receivedfrom a base station device, access point, network or a mobile device.

At 1004, based upon configuring the waveguide in proximity of the wire,the guided-wave then couples at least a part of the firstelectromagnetic wave to a wire surface, forming a second electromagneticwave (e.g., a surface wave) that propagates at least partially aroundthe wire surface, wherein the wire is in proximity to the waveguide.This can be done in response to positioning a portion of the dielectricwaveguide (e.g., a tangent of a curve of the dielectric waveguide) nearand parallel to the wire, wherein a wavelength of the electromagneticwave is smaller than a circumference of the wire and the dielectricwaveguide. The guided-wave, or surface wave, stays parallel to the wireeven as the wire bends and flexes. Bends can increase transmissionlosses, which are also dependent on wire diameters, frequency, andmaterials. The coupling interface between the wire and the waveguide canalso be configured to achieve the desired level of coupling, asdescribed herein, which can include tapering an end of the waveguide toimprove impedance matching between the waveguide and the wire.

The transmission that is emitted by the transmitter can exhibit one ormore waveguide modes. The waveguide modes can be dependent on the shapeand/or design of the waveguide. The propagation modes on the wire can bedifferent than the waveguide modes due to the different characteristicsof the waveguide and the wire. When the circumference of the wire iscomparable in size to, or greater, than a wavelength of thetransmission, the guided-wave exhibits multiple wave propagation modes.The guided-wave can therefore comprise more than one type of electricand magnetic field configuration. As the guided-wave (e.g., surfacewave) propagates down the wire, the electrical and magnetic fieldconfigurations may remain substantially the same from end to end of thewire or vary as the transmission traverses the wave by rotation,dispersion, attenuation or other effects.

Referring now to FIG. 11, there is illustrated a block diagram of acomputing environment in accordance with various aspects describedherein. In order to provide additional context for various embodimentsof the embodiments described herein, FIG. 11 and the followingdiscussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of asuitable computing environment 1100 in which the various embodiments ofthe embodiment described herein can be implemented. While theembodiments have been described above in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions that can be run on one or morecomputers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodimentscan be also implemented in combination with other program modules and/oras a combination of hardware and software.

Generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, datastructures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer systemconfigurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computersystems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personalcomputers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can beoperatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, unless otherwiseclear by context, is for clarity only and doesn't otherwise indicate orimply any order in time. For instance, “a first determination,” “asecond determination,” and “a third determination,” does not indicate orimply that the first determination is to be made before the seconddetermination, or vice versa, etc.

The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be alsopracticed in distributed computing environments where certain tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically comprise a variety of media, which cancomprise computer-readable storage media and/or communications media,which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows.Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media thatcan be accessed by the computer and comprises both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implementedin connection with any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured dataor unstructured data.

Computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not limited to,random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electricallyerasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or othermemory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digitalversatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devicesor other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to storedesired information. In this regard, the terms “tangible” or“non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory orcomputer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude onlypropagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquishrights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media thatare not only propagating transitory signals per se.

Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local orremote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or otherdata retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect tothe information stored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructureddata in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and comprise any information deliveryor transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refersto a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changedin such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By wayof example, and not limitation, communication media comprises wiredmedia, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wirelessmedia such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 11, the example environment 1100 fortransmitting and receiving signals via base station (e.g., base stationdevices 104 and 508) and repeater devices (e.g., repeater devices 710,806, and 900) comprises a computer 1102, the computer 1102 comprising aprocessing unit 1104, a system memory 1106 and a system bus 1108. Thesystem bus 1108 couples system components including, but not limited to,the system memory 1106 to the processing unit 1104. The processing unit1104 can be any of various commercially available processors. Dualmicroprocessors and other multi-processor architectures can also beemployed as the processing unit 1104.

The system bus 1108 can be any of several types of bus structure thatcan further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memorycontroller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety ofcommercially available bus architectures. The system memory 1106comprises ROM 1110 and RAM 1112. A basic input/output system (BIOS) canbe stored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmableread only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, in which the BIOS contains the basicroutines that help to transfer information between elements within thecomputer 1102, such as during startup. The RAM 1112 can also comprise ahigh-speed RAM such as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 1102 further comprises an internal hard disk drive (HDD)1114 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), which internal hard disk drive 1114 can also beconfigured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown), amagnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 1116, (e.g., to read from or write to aremovable diskette 1118) and an optical disk drive 1120, (e.g., readinga CD-ROM disk 1122 or, to read from or write to other high capacityoptical media such as the DVD). The hard disk drive 1114, magnetic diskdrive 1116 and optical disk drive 1120 can be connected to the systembus 1108 by a hard disk drive interface 1124, a magnetic disk driveinterface 1126 and an optical drive interface 1128, respectively. Theinterface for external drive implementations comprises at least one orboth of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other externaldrive connection technologies are within contemplation of theembodiments described herein.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media providenonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executableinstructions, and so forth. For the computer 1102, the drives andstorage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digitalformat. Although the description of computer-readable storage mediaabove refers to a hard disk drive (HDD), a removable magnetic diskette,and a removable optical media such as a CD or DVD, it should beappreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storagemedia which are readable by a computer, such as zip drives, magneticcassettes, flash memory cards, cartridges, and the like, can also beused in the example operating environment, and further, that any suchstorage media can contain computer-executable instructions forperforming the methods described herein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 1112,comprising an operating system 1130, one or more application programs1132, other program modules 1134 and program data 1136. All or portionsof the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also becached in the RAM 1112. The systems and methods described herein can beimplemented utilizing various commercially available operating systemsor combinations of operating systems. Examples of application programs1132 that can be implemented and otherwise executed by processing unit1104 include the diversity selection determining performed by repeaterdevice 806. Base station device 508 shown in FIG. 5, also has stored inmemory many applications and programs that can be executed by processingunit 1104 in this exemplary computing environment 1100.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 1102 throughone or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 1138 and apointing device, such as a mouse 1140. Other input devices (not shown)can comprise a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a joystick,a game pad, a stylus pen, touch screen or the like. These and otherinput devices are often connected to the processing unit 1104 through aninput device interface 1142 that can be coupled to the system bus 1108,but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, anIEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB) port,an IR interface, etc.

A monitor 1144 or other type of display device can be also connected tothe system bus 1108 via an interface, such as a video adapter 1146. Itwill also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, a monitor 1144can also be any display device (e.g., another computer having a display,a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.) for receiving displayinformation associated with computer 1102 via any communication means,including via the Internet and cloud-based networks. In addition to themonitor 1144, a computer typically comprises other peripheral outputdevices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

The computer 1102 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or moreremote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 1148. The remotecomputer(s) 1148 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, apersonal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainmentappliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typicallycomprises many or all of the elements described relative to the computer1102, although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device1150 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted comprisewired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 1152 and/orlarger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 1154. Such LAN and WANnetworking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, andfacilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all ofwhich can connect to a global communications network, e.g., theInternet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1102 can beconnected to the local network 1152 through a wired and/or wirelesscommunication network interface or adapter 1156. The adapter 1156 canfacilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 1152, which canalso comprise a wireless AP disposed thereon for communicating with thewireless adapter 1156.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1102 cancomprise a modem 1158 or can be connected to a communications server onthe WAN 1154 or has other means for establishing communications over theWAN 1154, such as by way of the Internet. The modem 1158, which can beinternal or external and a wired or wireless device, can be connected tothe system bus 1108 via the input device interface 1142. In a networkedenvironment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1102 orportions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device1150. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown areexample and other means of establishing a communications link betweenthe computers can be used.

The computer 1102 can be operable to communicate with any wirelessdevices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication,e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portabledata assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment orlocation associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk,news stand, restroom), and telephone. This can comprise WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, thecommunication can be a predefined structure as with a conventionalnetwork or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

Wi-Fi can allow connection to the Internet from a couch at home, a bedin a hotel room or a conference room at work, without wires. Wi-Fi is awireless technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enablessuch devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out;anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radiotechnologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, n, ac, etc.) to providesecure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can beused to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wirednetworks (which can use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operatein the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands for example or with productsthat contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can providereal-world performance similar to the basic 10BaseT wired Ethernetnetworks used in many offices.

FIG. 12 presents an example embodiment 1200 of a mobile network platform1210 that can implement and exploit one or more aspects of the disclosedsubject matter described herein. In one or more embodiments, the mobilenetwork platform 1210 can generate and receive signals transmitted andreceived by base stations (e.g., base station devices 104 and 508) andrepeater devices (e.g., repeater devices 710, 806, and 900) associatedwith the disclosed subject matter. Generally, wireless network platform1210 can comprise components, e.g., nodes, gateways, interfaces,servers, or disparate platforms, that facilitate both packet-switched(PS) (e.g., internet protocol (IP), frame relay, asynchronous transfermode (ATM)) and circuit-switched (CS) traffic (e.g., voice and data), aswell as control generation for networked wireless telecommunication. Asa non-limiting example, wireless network platform 1210 can be includedin telecommunications carrier networks, and can be consideredcarrier-side components as discussed elsewhere herein. Mobile networkplatform 1210 comprises CS gateway node(s) 1212 which can interface CStraffic received from legacy networks like telephony network(s) 1240(e.g., public switched telephone network (PSTN), or public land mobilenetwork (PLMN)) or a signaling system #7 (SS7) network 1260. Circuitswitched gateway node(s) 1212 can authorize and authenticate traffic(e.g., voice) arising from such networks. Additionally, CS gatewaynode(s) 1212 can access mobility, or roaming, data generated through SS7network 1260; for instance, mobility data stored in a visited locationregister (VLR), which can reside in memory 1230. Moreover, CS gatewaynode(s) 1212 interfaces CS-based traffic and signaling and PS gatewaynode(s) 1218. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network, CS gateway node(s)1212 can be realized at least in part in gateway GPRS support node(s)(GGSN). It should be appreciated that functionality and specificoperation of CS gateway node(s) 1212, PS gateway node(s) 1218, andserving node(s) 1216, is provided and dictated by radio technology(ies)utilized by mobile network platform 1210 for telecommunication.

In addition to receiving and processing CS-switched traffic andsignaling, PS gateway node(s) 1218 can authorize and authenticatePS-based data sessions with served mobile devices. Data sessions cancomprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with networks external to thewireless network platform 1210, like wide area network(s) (WANs) 1250,enterprise network(s) 1270, and service network(s) 1280, which can beembodied in local area network(s) (LANs), can also be interfaced withmobile network platform 1210 through PS gateway node(s) 1218. It is tobe noted that WANs 1250 and enterprise network(s) 1270 can embody, atleast in part, a service network(s) like IP multimedia subsystem (IMS).Based on radio technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s),packet-switched gateway node(s) 1218 can generate packet data protocolcontexts when a data session is established; other data structures thatfacilitate routing of packetized data also can be generated. To thatend, in an aspect, PS gateway node(s) 1218 can comprise a tunnelinterface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (TTG) in 3GPP UMTSnetwork(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate packetized communicationwith disparate wireless network(s), such as Wi-Fi networks.

In embodiment 1200, wireless network platform 1210 also comprisesserving node(s) 1216 that, based upon available radio technologylayer(s) within technology resource(s), convey the various packetizedflows of data streams received through PS gateway node(s) 1218. It is tobe noted that for technology resource(s) that rely primarily on CScommunication, server node(s) can deliver traffic without reliance on PSgateway node(s) 1218; for example, server node(s) can embody at least inpart a mobile switching center. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network,serving node(s) 1216 can be embodied in serving GPRS support node(s)(SGSN).

For radio technologies that exploit packetized communication, server(s)1214 in wireless network platform 1210 can execute numerous applicationsthat can generate multiple disparate packetized data streams or flows,and manage (e.g., schedule, queue, format . . . ) such flows. Suchapplication(s) can comprise add-on features to standard services (forexample, provisioning, billing, customer support . . . ) provided bywireless network platform 1210. Data streams (e.g., content(s) that arepart of a voice call or data session) can be conveyed to PS gatewaynode(s) 1218 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a datasession, and to serving node(s) 1216 for communication thereafter. Inaddition to application server, server(s) 1214 can comprise utilityserver(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning server, anoperations and maintenance server, a security server that can implementat least in part a certificate authority and firewalls as well as othersecurity mechanisms, and the like. In an aspect, security server(s)secure communication served through wireless network platform 1210 toensure network's operation and data integrity in addition toauthorization and authentication procedures that CS gateway node(s) 1212and PS gateway node(s) 1218 can enact. Moreover, provisioning server(s)can provision services from external network(s) like networks operatedby a disparate service provider; for instance, WAN 1250 or GlobalPositioning System (GPS) network(s) (not shown). Provisioning server(s)can also provision coverage through networks associated to wirelessnetwork platform 1210 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same serviceprovider), such as the distributed antennas networks shown in FIG. 1(s)that enhance wireless service coverage by providing more networkcoverage. Repeater devices such as those shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 alsoimprove network coverage in order to enhance subscriber serviceexperience by way of UE 1275.

It is to be noted that server(s) 1214 can comprise one or moreprocessors configured to confer at least in part the functionality ofmacro network platform 1210. To that end, the one or more processor canexecute code instructions stored in memory 1230, for example. It isshould be appreciated that server(s) 1214 can comprise a contentmanager, which operates in substantially the same manner as describedhereinbefore.

In example embodiment 1200, memory 1230 can store information related tooperation of wireless network platform 1210. Other operationalinformation can comprise provisioning information of mobile devicesserved through wireless platform network 1210, subscriber databases;application intelligence, pricing schemes, e.g., promotional rates,flat-rate programs, couponing campaigns; technical specification(s)consistent with telecommunication protocols for operation of disparateradio, or wireless, technology layers; and so forth. Memory 1230 canalso store information from at least one of telephony network(s) 1240,WAN 1250, enterprise network(s) 1270, or SS7 network 1260. In an aspect,memory 1230 can be, for example, accessed as part of a data storecomponent or as a remotely connected memory store.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosedsubject matter, FIG. 12, and the following discussion, are intended toprovide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in whichthe various aspects of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented.While the subject matter has been described above in the general contextof computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on acomputer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will recognize thatthe disclosed subject matter also can be implemented in combination withother program modules. Generally, program modules comprise routines,programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particulartasks and/or implement particular abstract data types.

Turning now to FIG. 13 a diagram is presented illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a coupler in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein. In particular, a diagram 1300 is presented of acoupler 1310 that is implemented as part of a transmission device forlaunching electromagnetic waves on an outer surface of a transmissionmedium, such as the insulated medium voltage wire 1302 that is shown.The coupler 1310 includes a tapered collar 1304 that surrounds theinsulated medium voltage wire 1302 (it being appreciated however, thatother conductive wires can be utilized as well). The tapered collar 1304can be constructed of a dielectric or other non-conductive material. Aconductive ring 1306 also surrounds the insulated medium voltage wire1302 in whole, substantially or in part, creating a gap 1308 such as anair gap or other gap (whether filled with a portion of the taperedcollar 1304, other dielectric material or not) between the conductivering 1306 and the insulated medium voltage wire 1302 to form a coaxiallauncher 1312. For example, the conductive ring 1306 can be filled orsubstantially filled with a dielectric material that merges with thelarger diameter end of the tapered collar 1304 that is constructed ofthe same dielectric material. In this fashion, the dielectric materialinside the conductive ring 1306 and the dielectric material forming thetapered collar 1304 can be constructed of a single dielectric element.The conductive ring 1306 can be constructed of a metallic ring, a metalcoated ring or other conductive material.

In operation, the coupler 1310 receives, at an open end of theconductive ring 1306 or other structure of the coaxial launcher 1312that couples to a transmitter or transceiver to launch anelectromagnetic wave from a transmitter or transceiver as part of atransmission device and guide the electromagnetic wave to the taperedcollar 1304. The tapered collar 1304 couples the electromagnetic wave topropagate along an outer surface of the insulated medium voltage wire1302. While the conductive ring 1306 is shown as being non-tapered andhaving a particular shape, in other examples the conductive ring can betapered. Further while the conductive ring 1306 and tapered collar 1304are shown as having a circular outer perimeter, shapes such as ellipsoidshapes, polygonal shapes or other shapes could likewise be employed. Thecoupler 1310 can be installed on the MV wire 1302 via a splicing devicethat is configured with the tapered ends described above. Alternatively,the coupler 1310 can be constructed in a clamshell configuration withtwo or more pieces that are joined together to surround the MV wire1302, can be constructed of a flexible material and have a slottedbottom that can be opened and wrapped around the MV wire 1302 for easeof installation or can be configured for installation in other ways.

Turning now to FIG. 14 a diagram is presented illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a coupler in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein. In particular, in diagram 1400, the coupler 1310 fromFIG. 13 is shown again in greater detail. As shown, the coupler 1310 iscoaxially aligned with the insulated medium voltage wire 1302. Theconductive ring 1306 (with optional dielectric material in the gapbetween the metallic ring and the MV wire 1302) serves as a coaxiallauncher 1312 to receive and/or guide an electromagnetic wave with aselected EM mode structure (such as a TEM mode, TE mode or TM mode).This selected EM mode structure can be fundamental mode only, caninclude only one or more non-fundamental modes, or a combination of thefundamental mode and one or more non-fundamental modes. The taperedcollar 1304 preserves the mode structure between the coaxial launcher1312 and the insulated medium voltage wire 1302, so as to launch theelectromagnetic wave on the outer surface of the insulated mediumvoltage wire 1302 with the selected mode structure.

By selectively launching a desired EM wave mode, the coupler 1310 can beused to launch EM waves in a modal “sweet spot” that enhanceselectromagnetic wave propagation along an insulated transmission mediumand reduces end-to-end transmission loss. In this particular mode, EMwaves are partially embedded in the insulator and partially travellingon the outer surface of the insulator. In this fashion, EM waves are“lightly” coupled to the insulator so as to enable EM wave propagationat long distances with low propagation loss. Further details regardingthis propagation mode, including several optional functions andfeatures, will be discussed in conjunction with FIGS. 17-19.

In a further example, by selectively launching a desired EM wave mode,the coupler 1310 can be used to launch EM waves that mitigate orcircumvent the effects of water droplets. In particular an EM wave modecan be selected to have a local minimum (or null) at the orientation ofexpected rain droplet formation while the majority of theelectromagnetic energy is oriented in the dry (or dryer) spots on theinsulated line. Further details regarding this example, includingseveral optional functions and features, will be discussed inconjunction with FIGS. 20A and 20B.

While the coupler 1310 is shown for use with the insulated mediumvoltage wire 1302, such a coupler could also be used in conjunction withother transmission mediums including other transmission wires, othersingle wire transmission systems and other transmission mediums withoutwires. In particular, while FIGS. 13 and 14 show an insulated mediumvoltage wire 1302 having a circular shape and coupler 1310 having acorresponding circular shape, this is not meant to be limiting. In otherembodiments, wires and couplers can have a variety of shapes, sizes, andconfigurations. The shapes can include, but not be limited to: ovals orother ellipsoid shapes, octagons, quadrilaterals or other polygons witheither sharp or rounded edges, or other shapes. Additionally, in someembodiments, the transmission medium can include stranded wirescomprising smaller gauge wires, such as a helical strand, braid, bundleor other coupling of individual strands into a single wire or wirebundle.

Turning now to FIG. 15, a block diagram is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a guided-wave communication system1550. In operation, a transmission device 1500 receives one or morecommunication signals 1510 from a communication network or othercommunications device that includes data and generates guided waves 1520to convey the data via the transmission medium 1525 to the transmissiondevice 1502. The transmission device 1502 receives the guided waves 1520and converts them to communication signals 1512 that include the datafor transmission to a communications network or other communicationsdevice. The communication network or networks can include a wirelesscommunication network such as a mobile data network, a cellular voiceand data network, a wireless local area network (e.g., WiFi or an 802.xxnetwork), a satellite communications network, a personal area network orother wireless network. The communication network or networks caninclude a wired communication network such as a telephone network, anEthernet network, a local area network, a wide area network such as theInternet, a broadband access network, a cable network, a fiber opticnetwork, or other wired network. The communication devices can include anetwork edge device, bridge device or home gateway, a set-top box,broadband modem, telephone adapter, access point, base station, or otherfixed communication device, a mobile communication device such as anautomotive gateway, laptop computer, tablet, smartphone, cellulartelephone, or other communication device.

In an example embodiment, the guided-wave communication system 1550 canoperate in a bi-directional fashion where transmission device 1502receives one or more communication signals 1512 from a communicationnetwork or device that includes other data and generates guided-waves1522 to convey the other data via the transmission medium 1525 to thetransmission device 1500. In this mode of operation, the transmissiondevice 1500 receives the guided-waves 1522 and converts them tocommunication signals 1510 that include the other data for transmissionto a communications network or device.

The transmission medium 1525 can include a wire or other conductor orinner portion having at least one inner portion surrounded by adielectric material such as an insulator or other dielectric cover,coating or other dielectric material, the dielectric material having anouter surface and a corresponding circumference. In an exampleembodiment, the transmission medium 1525 operates as a single-wiretransmission line to guide the transmission of an electromagnetic wave.When the transmission medium 1525 is implemented as a single wiretransmission system, it can include a wire. The wire can be insulated oruninsulated, and single-stranded or multi-stranded (e.g., braided). Inother embodiments, the transmission medium 1525 can contain conductorsof other shapes or configurations including wire bundles, cables, rods,rails, pipes. In addition, the transmission medium 1525 can includenon-conductors such as dielectric pipes, rods, rails, or otherdielectric members; combinations of conductors and dielectric materials,conductors without dielectric materials or other guided-wavetransmission media. It should be noted that the transmission medium 1525can otherwise include any of the transmission media previously discussedin conjunction with FIGS. 1-14.

According to an example embodiment, the guided waves 1520 and 1522 canbe contrasted with radio transmissions over free space/air orconventional propagation of electrical power or signals through theconductor of a wire. In particular, guided waves 1520 and 1522 aresurface waves and other electromagnetic waves that surround all or partof the surface of the transmission medium and propagate with low lossalong the transmission medium from transmission device 1500 totransmission device 1502, and vice versa. The guided waves 1520 and 1522can have a field structure (e.g., an electromagnetic field structure)that lies primarily or substantially outside of the transmission medium1525. In addition to the propagation of guided waves 1520 and 1522, thetransmission medium 1525 may optionally contain one or more wires thatpropagate electrical power or other communication signals in aconventional manner as a part of one or more electrical circuits.

Turning now to FIG. 16, a block diagram is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a transmission device 1500 or 1502.The transmission device 1500 or 1502 includes a communications interface(I/F) 1600, a transceiver 1610 and a coupler 1620.

In an example of operation, the communications interface 1600 receives acommunication signal 1510 or 1512 that includes data. In variousembodiments, the communications interface 1600 can include a wirelessinterface for receiving a wireless communication signal in accordancewith a wireless standard protocol such as LTE or other cellular voiceand data protocol, WiFi or an 802.11 protocol, WIMAX protocol, UltraWideband protocol, Bluetooth protocol, Zigbee protocol, a directbroadcast satellite (DBS) or other satellite communication protocol orother wireless protocol. In addition or in the alternative, thecommunications interface 1600 includes a wired interface that operatesin accordance with an Ethernet protocol, universal serial bus (USB)protocol, a data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS)protocol, a digital subscriber line (DSL) protocol, a Firewire (IEEE1394) protocol, or other wired protocol. In additional tostandards-based protocols, the communications interface 1600 can operatein conjunction with other wired or wireless protocol. In addition, thecommunications interface 1600 can optionally operate in conjunction witha protocol stack that includes multiple protocol layers.

In an example of operation, the transceiver 1610 generates anelectromagnetic wave based on the communication signal 1510 or 1512 toconvey the data. The electromagnetic wave has at least one carrierfrequency and at least one corresponding wavelength. The carrierfrequency can be within a millimeter-wave frequency band of 30 GHz-300GHz or a lower frequency band of 3 GHz-30 GHz in the microwave frequencyband, but it will be appreciated that other carrier frequencies arepossible in other embodiments. In one mode of operation, the transceiver1610 merely upconverts the communications signal or signals 1510 or 1512for transmission of the electromagnetic signal in the microwave ormillimeter-wave band. In another mode of operation, the communicationsinterface 1600 either converts the communication signal 1510 or 1512 toa baseband or near baseband signal or extracts the data from thecommunication signal 1510 or 1512 and the transceiver 1610 modulates ahigh-frequency carrier with the data, the baseband or near basebandsignal for transmission.

In an example of operation, the coupler 1620 couples the electromagneticwave to the transmission medium 1525. The coupler 1620 can beimplemented via a dielectric waveguide coupler, coupler 1310 or any ofthe other couplers and coupling devices described in conjunction withFIGS. 1-14. In an example embodiment, the transmission medium 1525includes a wire or other inner element surrounded by a dielectricmaterial having an outer surface. The dielectric material can include aninsulating jacket, a dielectric coating or other dielectric on the outersurface of the transmission medium 1525. The inner portion can include adielectric or other insulator, a conductor, air or other gas or void, orone or more conductors.

While the prior description has focused on the operation of thetransceiver 1610 as a transmitter, the transceiver 1610 can also operateto receive electromagnetic waves that convey other data from the singlewire transmission medium via the coupler 1620 and to generatecommunications signals 1510 or 1512, via communications interface 1600that includes the other data. Consider embodiments where an additionalelectromagnetic wave conveys other data that also propagates along theouter surface of the dielectric material of the transmission medium1525. The coupler 1620 can also couple this additional electromagneticwave from the transmission medium 1525 to the transceiver 1610 forreception.

Turning now to FIG. 17, a diagram is shown illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of an electromagnetic field distribution. Inthis embodiment, a transmission medium 1525 in air includes an innerconductor 1700 and an insulating jacket 1702 of dielectric material, isshown in cross section. The diagram includes different gray-scales thatrepresent differing electromagnetic field strengths generated by thepropagation of the guided-wave having an asymmetric mode.

In particular, the electromagnetic field distribution corresponds to amodal “sweet spot” that enhances electromagnetic wave propagation alongan insulated transmission medium and reduces end-to-end transmissionloss. In this particular mode, EM waves are guided by the transmissionmedium 1525 to propagate along an outer surface of the transmissionmedium—in this case, the outer surface of the insulating jacket 1702. EMwaves are partially embedded in the insulator and partially radiating onthe outer surface of the insulator. In this fashion, EM waves are“lightly” coupled to the insulator so as to enable EM wave propagationat long distances with low propagation loss.

As shown, the guided-wave has a field structure that lies primarily orsubstantially outside of the transmission medium 1525 that serves toguide the wave. The regions inside the conductor 1700 have little or nofield. Likewise regions inside the insulating jacket 1702 have low fieldstrength. The majority of the electromagnetic field strength isdistributed in the lobes 1704 at the outer surface of the insulatingjacket 1702 and in close proximity thereof. The presence of anasymmetric guided-wave mode is shown by the high electromagnetic fieldstrengths at the top and bottom of the outer surface of the insulatingjacket 1702—as opposed to very small field strengths on the other sidesof the insulating jacket 1702.

The example shown corresponds to a 38 GHz wave guided by a wire with adiameter of 1.1 cm and a dielectric insulation of thickness of 0.36 cm.Because the electromagnetic wave is guided by the transmission medium1525 and the majority of the field strength is concentrated in the airoutside of the insulating jacket 1702 within a limited distance of theouter surface, the guided-wave can propagate longitudinally down thetransmission medium 1525 with very low loss. In the example shown, this“limited distance” corresponds to a distance from the outer surface thatis less than half the largest cross sectional dimension of thetransmission medium 1525. In this case, the largest cross sectionaldimension of the wire corresponds to the overall diameter of 1.82 cm,however, this value can vary with the size and shape of the transmissionmedium 1525. For example, should the transmission medium be ofrectangular shape with a height of 0.3 cm and a width of 0.4 cm, thelargest cross sectional dimension would be the diagonal of 0.5 cm andthe corresponding limited distance would be 0.25 cm.

In an example embodiment, this particular asymmetric mode of propagationis induced on the transmission medium 1525 by an electromagnetic wavehaving a frequency that falls within a limited range (such as Fc toFc+25%) of the lower cut-off frequency Fc of the asymmetric mode, i.e.the lowest frequency that a particular asymmetric or fundamental modecan be supported. For embodiments as shown that include an innerconductor 1700 surrounded by an insulating jacket 1702, this cutofffrequency can vary based on the dimensions and properties of theinsulating jacket 1702 and potentially the dimensions and properties ofthe inner conductor 1700 and can be determined experimentally to have adesired mode pattern. It should be noted however, that similar effectscan be found for a hollow dielectric or insulator without an innerconductor. In this case, the cutoff frequency can vary based on thedimensions and properties of the hollow dielectric or insulator.

At frequencies lower than the lower cut-off frequency, the asymmetricmode is difficult to induce in the transmission medium 1525 and fails topropagate for all but trivial distances. As the frequency increasesabove the limited range of frequencies about the cut-off frequency, theasymmetric mode shifts more and more inward of the insulating jacket1702. At frequencies much larger than the cut-off frequency, the fieldstrength is no longer concentrated outside of the insulating jacket, butprimarily inside of the insulating jacket 1702. While the transmissionmedium 1525 provides strong guidance to the electromagnetic wave andpropagation is still possible, ranges are more limited by increasedlosses due to propagation within the insulating jacket 1702—as opposedto the surrounding air.

Turning now to FIG. 18, a diagram is shown illustrating example,non-limiting embodiments of various electromagnetic field distributions.In particular, a cross section diagram 1800, similar to FIG. 17 is shownwith common reference numerals used to refer to similar elements. Theexample shown in cross section 1800 corresponds to a 60 GHz wave guidedby a wire with a diameter of 1.1 cm and a dielectric insulation ofthickness of 0.36 cm. Because the frequency of the wave is above thelimited range of the cut-off frequency, the asymmetric mode has shiftedinward of the insulating jacket 1702. In particular, the field strengthis concentrated primarily inside of the insulating jacket 1702. Whilethe transmission medium 1525 provides strong guidance to theelectromagnetic wave and propagation is still possible, ranges are morelimited when compared with the embodiment of FIG. 17, by increasedlosses due to propagation within the insulating jacket 1702.

The diagrams 1802, 1804, 1806 and 1808 also present embodiments of atransmission medium 1525 in air that includes an inner conductor and aninsulating jacket of dielectric material, similar to diagram 1800, butshown in longitudinal cross section and in smaller scale. These diagramsinclude different gray-scales that represent differing electromagneticfield strengths generated by the propagation of the guided-wave havingan asymmetric mode at different frequencies.

At frequencies lower than the lower cut-off frequency, represented bydiagram 1808, the electric field is not tightly coupled to the surfaceof the transmission medium 1525. The asymmetric mode is difficult toinduce in the transmission medium 1525 and fails to propagate for allbut trivial distances along the transmission medium. At frequencieswithin the limited range of the cutoff frequency, represented by diagram1806, while some of the electric field strength is within the insulatingjacket, the guided-wave has a field structure that lies primarily orsubstantially outside of the insulating jacket and outside of thetransmission medium 1525 that serves to guide the wave. As discussed inconjunction with FIG. 17, the regions inside the conductor 1700 havelittle or no field and propagation is supported over reasonable distanceand with lower propagation losses, when compared with other frequencyranges. As the frequency increases above the limited range offrequencies about the cut-off frequency, represented by diagram 1804,the asymmetric mode shifts more and more inward of the insulating jacketof transmission medium 1525 increasing propagation losses and reducingeffective travel distances. At frequencies much larger than the cut-offfrequency, represented by diagram 1802, the field strength is no longerconcentrated outside of the insulating jacket, but primarily inside ofthe insulating jacket 1702. While the transmission medium 1525 providesstrong guidance to the electromagnetic wave and propagation is stillpossible, ranges are more limited by increased losses due to propagationwithin the insulating jacket 1702—as opposed to the surrounding air.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments ofvarious electromagnetic distributions in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein. In particular, diagram 1900 presents a graph ofend-to-end loss (in dB) as a function of frequency, overlaid withelectromagnetic field distributions 1910, 1920 and 1930 at three pointsfor a 200 cm insulated medium voltage wire. The boundary between theinsulator and the surrounding air is represented by reference numeral1925 in each electromagnetic field distribution.

In particular, the electromagnetic field distribution 1920 at 6 GHzfalls within the modal “sweet spot” previously discussed that enhanceselectromagnetic wave propagation along an insulated transmission mediumand reduces end-to-end transmission loss. In this particular mode, EMwaves are partially embedded in the insulator and partially radiating onthe outer surface of the insulator. In this fashion, EM waves are“lightly” coupled to the insulator so as to enable EM wave propagationat long distances with low propagation loss.

At lower frequencies represented by the electromagnetic fielddistribution 1910 at 3 GHz, the asymmetric mode radiates more heavilygenerating higher propagation losses. At higher frequencies representedby the electromagnetic field distribution 1930 at 9 GHz, the asymmetricmode shifts more and more inward of the insulating jacket providing toomuch absorption, again generating higher propagation losses.

FIGS. 20A and 20B are diagrams illustrating example, non-limitingembodiments of a transmission medium in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein. FIG. 20A presents a diagram 2000 that shows anaccumulation of water droplets 2002 on a transmission medium 1525. Thewater droplets 2002 can accumulate from weather conditions such as dew,moisting, humidity or rain or man-made conditions such as irrigationsystem overspray. As shown, the water droplets 2002 can be expected toaccumulate, due to gravity, at an orientation corresponding to thebottom side of the transmission line 1525. The presence of such waterdroplets 2002 can interfere with the propagation of guidedelectromagnetic waves on a surface of the power line 1525.

As previously discussed, a transmission device can include a coupler,such as coupler 1310, that selectively launches EM waves that mitigateor circumvent the effects of water droplets. In particular an EM wavemode can be selected to have a local minimum (or null) at theorientation of expected rain droplet formation while the majority of theelectromagnetic energy is oriented in the dry (or dryer) spots on theinsulated line.

FIG. 20B presents an electromagnetic distribution 2010 for such an EMwave that operates within the modal sweet spot previously discussed thatenhances electromagnetic wave propagation along an insulatedtransmission medium and reduces end-to-end transmission loss. As shown,the electromagnetic field distribution 2010 includes a local minimumthat is aligned with the expected orientation of water droplet formation2012—at the bottom of the transmission medium 1525 such as a bare orinsulated wire. In this fashion, the presence of water droplets 2002 haslittle effect on EM wave propagation, since the majority of the EM fieldenergy is in other orientations around the transmission medium. Itshould also be noted that the electromagnetic field distribution 2010 isbilaterally symmetrical and also includes a local minimum at the top ofthe transmission medium 1525. The presence of this second local minimumcan mitigate the effects of any accumulations of water, ice or othermatter at the top of the transmission medium 1525.

Turning now to FIG. 21, a block diagram is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a transmission device. Inparticular, a diagram similar to FIG. 16 is presented with commonreference numerals used to refer to similar elements. The transmissiondevice 1500 or 1502 includes a communications interface 1600 thatreceives a communication signal 1510 or 1512 that includes data. Thetransceiver 1610 generates a first electromagnetic wave based on thecommunication signal 1510 or 1512 to convey the first data, the firstelectromagnetic wave having at least one carrier frequency. A coupler1620 couples the first electromagnetic wave to the transmission medium1525 having at least one inner portion surrounded by a dielectricmaterial, the dielectric material having an outer surface and acorresponding circumference. The first electromagnetic wave is coupledto the transmission medium to form a second electromagnetic wave that isguided to propagate along the outer surface of the dielectric materialvia at least one guided-wave mode.

The transmission device 1500 or 1502 includes an optional trainingcontroller 2100. In an example embodiment, the training controller 2100is implemented by a standalone processor or a processor that is sharedwith one or more other components of the transmission device 1500 or1502. The training controller 2100 selects the at least one carrierfrequency based on feedback data received by the transceiver 1610 fromat least one remote transmission device coupled to receive the secondelectromagnetic wave.

In an example embodiment, a third electromagnetic wave transmitted by aremote transmission device 1500 or 1502 conveys second data that alsopropagates along the outer surface of the dielectric material of atransmission medium 1525. The second data can be generated to includethe feedback data. In operation, the coupler 1620 also couples the thirdelectromagnetic wave from the transmission medium 1525 to form a fourthelectromagnetic wave and the transceiver receives the fourthelectromagnetic wave and processes the fourth electromagnetic wave toextract the second data.

In an example embodiment, the training controller 2100 operates based onthe feedback data to evaluate a plurality of candidate frequenciesand/or transmission modes to select the carrier frequency and/ortransmission mode to enhance performance, such as throughput, signalstrength, reduce propagation loss, etc.

Consider the following example: a transmission device 1500 beginsoperation under control of the training controller 2100 by sending aplurality of guided-waves as test signals such as ones or pilot waves ata corresponding plurality of candidate frequencies and/or candidatemodes directed to a remote transmission device 1502 coupled to thetransmission medium 1525. The guided-waves can include, in addition orin the alternative, test data. The test data can indicate the particularcandidate frequency and/or EM mode of the signal. In an embodiment, thetraining controller 2100 at the remote transmission device 1502 receivesthe test signals and/or test data from any of the guided-waves that wereproperly received and determines the best candidate frequency and/or EMmode, a set of acceptable candidate frequencies and/or EM modes, or arank ordering of candidate frequencies and/or EM modes. This selectionof candidate frequenc(ies) or/and EM mode(s) are generated by thetraining controller 2100 based on one or more optimizing criteria suchas received signal strength, bit error rate, packet error rate, signalto noise ratio, propagation loss, etc. The training controller 2100generates feedback data that indicates the selection of candidatefrequenc(ies) or/and EM mode(s) and sends the feedback data to thetransceiver 1610 for transmission to the transmission device 1500. Thetransmission device 1500 and 1502 can then communicate data with oneanother based on the selection of candidate frequenc(ies) or/and EMmode(s).

In other embodiments, the electromagnetic waves that contain the testsignals and/or test data are reflected back, repeated back or otherwiselooped back by the remote transmission device 1502 to the transmissiondevice 1502 for reception and analysis by the training controller 2100of the transmission device 1502 that initiated these waves. For example,the transmission device 1502 can send a signal to the remotetransmission device 1502 to initiate a test mode where a physicalreflector is switched on the line, a termination impedance is changed tocause reflections, a loop back circuits is switched on to coupleelectromagnetic waves back to the source transmission device 1502,and/or a repeater mode is enabled to amplify and retransmit theelectromagnetic waves back to the source transmission device 1502. Thetraining controller 2100 at the source transmission device 1502 receivesthe test signals and/or test data from any of the guided-waves that wereproperly received and determines selection of candidate frequenc(ies)or/and EM mode(s).

While the procedure above has been described in a start-up orinitialization mode of operation, each transmission device 1500 or 1502can send test signals, evaluate candidate frequencies or EM modes vianon-test such as normal transmissions or otherwise evaluate candidatefrequencies or EM modes at other times or continuously as well. In anexample embodiment, the communication protocol between the transmissiondevices 1500 and 1502 can include a periodic test mode where either fulltesting or more limited testing of a subset of candidate frequencies andEM modes are tested and evaluated. In other modes of operation, there-entry into such a test mode can be triggered by a degradation ofperformance due to a disturbance, weather conditions, etc. In an exampleembodiment, the receiver bandwidth of the transceiver 1610 is eithersufficiently wide to include all candidate frequencies or can beselectively adjusted by the training controller 2100 to a training modewhere the receiver bandwidth of the transceiver 1610 is sufficientlywide to include all candidate frequencies.

Turning now to FIG. 22, a flow diagram 2200 is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a method. The method can be used inconjunction with one or more functions and features described inconjunction with FIGS. 1-21. Step 2202 includes generating anelectromagnetic wave to convey the data in accordance with anon-fundamental mode having an EM field pattern with a local minimum atan azimuthal orientation. Step 2204 includes coupling theelectromagnetic wave to propagate on an outer surface of a transmissionmedium without altering the azimuthal orientation of the local minimum,or otherwise to align local minimum at a desired orientation withrespect to the transmission medium. For example, the local minimum canbe generated and/or aligned such that the azimuthal orientation alignswith an expected orientation of water droplet formation of thetransmission medium. In an embodiment, the non-fundamental mode has acutoff frequency, and wherein a carrier frequency of the electromagneticwave is selected based on the cutoff frequency. The carrier frequencycan be within a microwave frequency band. The electromagnetic wave canbe coupled to propagate on an outer surface of the transmission mediumwithout altering the non-fundamental mode of the electromagnetic waveand without introducing additional propagating electromagnetic modes(either fundamental or non-fundamental) of the electromagnetic wave. Asreferred to above, a propagating mode is a mode that propagates morethan a trivial distance in the longitudinal direction along thetransmission medium.

The transmission medium can include an insulating jacket and the outersurface of the transmission medium can correspond to the outer surfaceof the insulating jacket. The transmission medium can be a single wiretransmission medium.

Electromagnetic waves as described by the subject disclosure can beaffected by the presence of a physical object (e.g., a bare wire orother conductor, a dielectric, an insulated wire, a conduit or otherhollow element, a bundle of insulated wires that is coated, covered orsurrounded by a dielectric or insulator or other wire bundle, or anotherform of solid, liquid or otherwise non-gaseous transmission medium) soas to be at least partially bound to or guided by the physical objectand so as to propagate along a transmission path of the physical object.Such a physical object can operate as a transmission medium that guides,by way of an interface of the transmission medium (e.g., an outersurface, inner surface, an interior portion between the outer and theinner surfaces or other boundary between elements of the transmissionmedium), the propagation of electromagnetic waves (“guidedelectromagnetic waves”), which in turn can carry energy and/or dataalong the transmission path from a sending device to a receiving device.

Unlike free space propagation of wireless signals such as unguided (orunbounded) electromagnetic waves that decrease in intensity inversely bythe square of the distance traveled by the unguided electromagneticwaves, guided electromagnetic waves can propagate along a transmissionmedium with less loss in magnitude per unit distance than experienced byunguided electromagnetic waves.

Unlike electrical signals, guided electromagnetic waves can propagatefrom a sending device to a receiving device without requiring a separateelectrical return path between the sending device and the receivingdevice. As a consequence, guided electromagnetic waves can propagatefrom a sending device to a receiving device along a transmission mediumhaving no conductive components (e.g., a dielectric strip), or via atransmission medium having no more than a single conductor (e.g., asingle bare wire or insulated wire). Even if a transmission mediumincludes one or more conductive components and the guidedelectromagnetic waves propagating along the transmission medium generatecurrents that flow in the one or more conductive components in adirection of the guided electromagnetic waves, such guidedelectromagnetic waves can propagate along the transmission medium from asending device to a receiving device without requiring a flow ofopposing currents on an electrical return path between the sendingdevice and the receiving device.

In a non-limiting illustration, consider electrical systems thattransmit and receive electrical signals between sending and receivingdevices by way of conductive media. Such systems generally rely onelectrically separate forward and return paths. For instance, consider acoaxial cable having a center conductor and a ground shield that areseparated by an insulator. Typically, in an electrical system a firstterminal of a sending (or receiving) device can be connected to thecenter conductor, and a second terminal of the sending (or receiving)device can be connected to the ground shield. If the sending deviceinjects an electrical signal in the center conductor via the firstterminal, the electrical signal will propagate along the centerconductor causing forward currents in the center conductor, and returncurrents in the ground shield. The same conditions apply for a twoterminal receiving device.

In contrast, consider a waveguide system such as described in thesubject disclosure, which can utilize different embodiments of atransmission medium (including among others a coaxial cable) fortransmitting guided electromagnetic waves without an electrical returnpath. In one embodiment, for example, the waveguide system of thesubject disclosure can be configured to induce guided electromagneticwaves that propagate along an outer surface of a coaxial cable. Althoughthe guided electromagnetic waves will cause forward currents on theground shield, the guided electromagnetic waves do not require returncurrents to enable the guided electromagnetic waves to propagate alongthe outer surface of the coaxial cable. The same can be said of othertransmission media used by a waveguide system for the transmission ofguided electromagnetic waves. For example, guided electromagnetic wavesinduced by the waveguide system on an outer surface of a bare wire, oran insulated wire can propagate along the bare wire or the insulatedbare wire without an electrical return path.

Consequently, electrical systems that require two or more conductors forcarrying forward and reverse currents on separate conductors to enablethe propagation of electrical signals injected by a sending device aredistinct from waveguide systems that induce guided electromagnetic waveson an interface of a transmission medium without the need of anelectrical return path to enable the propagation of the guidedelectromagnetic waves along the interface of the transmission medium.

It is further noted that guided electromagnetic waves as described inthe subject disclosure can have an electromagnetic field structure thatlies primarily or substantially outside of a transmission medium so asto be bound to or guided by the transmission medium and so as topropagate non-trivial distances on or along an outer surface of thetransmission medium. In other embodiments, guided electromagnetic wavescan have an electromagnetic field structure that lies primarily orsubstantially inside a transmission medium so as to be bound to orguided by the transmission medium and so as to propagate non-trivialdistances within the transmission medium. In other embodiments, guidedelectromagnetic waves can have an electromagnetic field structure thatlies partially inside and partially outside a transmission medium so asto be bound to or guided by the transmission medium and so as topropagate non-trivial distances along the transmission medium.

In the subject specification, terms such as “store,” “storage,” “datastore,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any otherinformation storage component relevant to operation and functionality ofa component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a“memory” or components comprising the memory. It will be appreciatedthat the memory components described herein can be either volatilememory or nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile andnonvolatile memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatilememory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage. Further,nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory (ROM),programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM),electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory cancomprise random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cachememory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available inmany forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM),synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhancedSDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM).Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methodsherein are intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising,these and any other suitable types of memory.

Moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter can bepracticed with other computer system configurations, comprisingsingle-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computingdevices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-heldcomputing devices (e.g., PDA, phone, watch, tablet computers, netbookcomputers, etc.), microprocessor-based or programmable consumer orindustrial electronics, and the like. The illustrated aspects can alsobe practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network; however, some if not all aspects of the subjectdisclosure can be practiced on stand-alone computers. In a distributedcomputing environment, program modules can be located in both local andremote memory storage devices.

Some of the embodiments described herein can also employ artificialintelligence (AI) to facilitate automating one or more featuresdescribed herein. For example, artificial intelligence can be used todetermine positions around a wire that dielectric waveguides 604 and 606should be placed in order to maximize transfer efficiency. Theembodiments (e.g., in connection with automatically identifying acquiredcell sites that provide a maximum value/benefit after addition to anexisting communication network) can employ various AI-based schemes forcarrying out various embodiments thereof. Moreover, the classifier canbe employed to determine a ranking or priority of the each cell site ofthe acquired network. A classifier is a function that maps an inputattribute vector, x=(x1, x2, x3, x4, . . . , xn), to a confidence thatthe input belongs to a class, that is, f(x)=confidence(class). Suchclassification can employ a probabilistic and/or statistical-basedanalysis (e.g., factoring into the analysis utilities and costs) toprognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automaticallyperformed. A support vector machine (SVM) is an example of a classifierthat can be employed. The SVM operates by finding a hypersurface in thespace of possible inputs, which the hypersurface attempts to split thetriggering criteria from the non-triggering events. Intuitively, thismakes the classification correct for testing data that is near, but notidentical to training data. Other directed and undirected modelclassification approaches comprise, e.g., naïve Bayes, Bayesiannetworks, decision trees, neural networks, fuzzy logic models, andprobabilistic classification models providing different patterns ofindependence that can be employed. Classification as used herein also isinclusive of statistical regression that is utilized to develop modelsof priority.

As will be readily appreciated, one or more of the embodiments canemploy classifiers that are explicitly trained (e.g., via a generictraining data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g., via observing UEbehavior, operator preferences, historical information, receivingextrinsic information). For example, SVMs can be configured via alearning or training phase within a classifier constructor and featureselection module. Thus, the classifier(s) can be used to automaticallylearn and perform a number of functions, including but not limited todetermining according to a predetermined criteria which of the acquiredcell sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/or which ofthe acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existingcommunication network coverage, etc.

As used in some contexts in this application, in some embodiments, theterms “component”, “system” and the like are intended to refer to, orcomprise, a computer-related entity or an entity related to anoperational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, whereinthe entity can be either hardware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. As an example, a componentmay be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution,computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. By wayof illustration and not limitation, both an application running on aserver and the server can be a component. One or more components mayreside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component maybe localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or morecomputers. In addition, these components can execute from variouscomputer readable media having various data structures stored thereon.The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such asin accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., datafrom one component interacting with another component in a local system,distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet withother systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be anapparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical partsoperated by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by asoftware or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein theprocessor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes atleast a part of the software or firmware application. As yet anotherexample, a component can be an apparatus that provides specificfunctionality through electronic components without mechanical parts,the electronic components can comprise a processor therein to executesoftware or firmware that confers at least in part the functionality ofthe electronic components. While various components have beenillustrated as separate components, it will be appreciated that multiplecomponents can be implemented as a single component, or a singlecomponent can be implemented as multiple components, without departingfrom example embodiments.

Further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a method,apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/orengineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware or anycombination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosedsubject matter. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein isintended to encompass a computer program accessible from anycomputer-readable device or computer-readable storage/communicationsmedia. For example, computer readable storage media can include, but arenot limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk,magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digitalversatile disk (DVD)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g.,card, stick, key drive). Of course, those skilled in the art willrecognize many modifications can be made to this configuration withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments.

In addition, the words “example” and “exemplary” are used herein to meanserving as an instance or illustration. Any embodiment or designdescribed herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to beconstrued as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments ordesigns. Rather, use of the word example or exemplary is intended topresent concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, theterm “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive“or”. That is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, “Xemploys A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusivepermutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both Aand B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoinginstances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in thisapplication and the appended claims should generally be construed tomean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context tobe directed to a singular form.

Moreover, terms such as “user equipment,” “mobile station,” “mobile,”subscriber station,” “access terminal,” “terminal,” “handset,” “mobiledevice” (and/or terms representing similar terminology) can refer to awireless device utilized by a subscriber or user of a wirelesscommunication service to receive or convey data, control, voice, video,sound, gaming or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. Theforegoing terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with referenceto the related drawings.

Furthermore, the terms “user,” “subscriber,” “customer,” “consumer” andthe like are employed interchangeably throughout, unless contextwarrants particular distinctions among the terms. It should beappreciated that such terms can refer to human entities or automatedcomponents supported through artificial intelligence (e.g., a capacityto make inference based, at least, on complex mathematical formalisms),which can provide simulated vision, sound recognition and so forth.

As employed herein, the term “processor” can refer to substantially anycomputing processing unit or device comprising, but not limited tocomprising, single-core processors; single-processors with softwaremultithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-coreprocessors with software multithread execution capability; multi-coreprocessors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; andparallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, aprocessor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), acomplex programmable logic device (CPLD), a discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designedto perform the functions described herein. Processors can exploitnano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular andquantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimizespace usage or enhance performance of user equipment. A processor canalso be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

As used herein, the term “millimeter-wave” can refer to electromagneticwaves that fall within the “millimeter-wave frequency band” of 30 GHz to300 GHz. The term “microwave” can refer to electromagnetic waves thatfall within the “microwave frequency band” of 300 MHz to 300 GHz. It isappreciated that wireless signals, electrical signals, and guidedelectromagnetic waves as described in the subject disclosure can beconfigured to operate at any desirable frequency range, such as, forexample, at frequencies within, above or below millimeter-wave and/ormicrowave frequency bands.

As used herein, the term “antenna” can refer to a device that is part ofa transmitting or receiving system to radiate or receive wirelesssignals.

In addition, a flow diagram may include a “start” and/or “continue”indication. The “start” and “continue” indications reflect that thesteps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used inconjunction with other routines. In this context, “start” indicates thebeginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by otheractivities not specifically shown. Further, the “continue” indicationreflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/ormay be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. Further,while a flow diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, otherorderings are likewise possible provided that the principles ofcausality are maintained.

As may also be used herein, the term(s) “operably coupled to”, “coupledto”, and/or “coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/orindirect coupling between items via one or more intervening items. Suchitems and intervening items include, but are not limited to, junctions,communication paths, components, circuit elements, circuits, functionalblocks, and/or devices. As an example of indirect coupling, a signalconveyed from a first item to a second item may be modified by one ormore intervening items by modifying the form, nature or format ofinformation in a signal, while one or more elements of the informationin the signal are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can berecognized by the second item. In a further example of indirectcoupling, an action in a first item can cause a reaction on the seconditem, as a result of actions and/or reactions in one or more interveningitems.

What has been described above includes mere examples of variousembodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe everyconceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes ofdescribing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in the art canrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the presentembodiments are possible. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed and/orclaimed herein are intended to embrace all such alterations,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes”is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term isintended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as“comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in aclaim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A coupler comprising: a tapered collar thatsurrounds a transmission wire; and a coaxial launcher, that surrounds atleast a portion of the transmission wire, and guides an electromagneticwave to the tapered collar and wherein the tapered collar couples theelectromagnetic wave to be guided by the transmission wire to propagate,without requiring an electrical return path, along the transmission wirevia a non-fundamental wave mode having an electromagnetic (EM) fieldpattern with a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation, and whereinthe azimuthal orientation of the local minimum is aligned at apredetermined orientation with respect to the transmission wire.
 2. Thecoupler of claim 1, wherein the coaxial launcher forms a gap between aconductive material and the transmission wire that includes adielectric.
 3. The coupler of claim 1, wherein the tapered collarincludes a dielectric.
 4. The coupler of claim 1, wherein a majority ofa signal strength of the electromagnetic wave is outside of thetransmission wire and in proximity to an outer surface of thetransmission wire.
 5. The coupler of claim 4, wherein the predeterminedorientation corresponds to an expected orientation of water dropletformation on the transmission wire.
 6. The coupler of claim 5, whereinthe predetermined orientation corresponds to a bottom of thetransmission wire.
 7. The coupler of claim 5, wherein theelectromagnetic field pattern has another local minimum at anotherazimuthal orientation about the transmission wire corresponding to a topof the transmission wire.
 8. The coupler of claim 5, wherein theelectromagnetic field pattern is bilaterally symmetrical.
 9. The couplerof claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic wave has a carrier frequencywithin a microwave frequency band.
 10. The coupler of claim 1, whereinthe transmission wire is an insulated wire.
 11. A coupler comprising: atapered collar that surrounds a transmission medium; and a coaxiallauncher, that surrounds at least a portion of the transmission medium,and guides an electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar and wherein thetapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to be guided by thetransmission medium to propagate, without requiring an electrical returnpath, along the transmission medium via a non-fundamental wave modehaving an electromagnetic (EM) field pattern with a local minimum at anazimuthal orientation, and wherein the azimuthal orientation of thelocal minimum is aligned at a predetermined orientation with respect tothe transmission medium.
 12. The coupler of claim 11, wherein thecoaxial launcher forms a gap between a conductive material and thetransmission medium that includes a dielectric.
 13. The coupler of claim11, wherein the tapered collar includes a dielectric.
 14. The coupler ofclaim 11, wherein a majority of a signal strength of the electromagneticwave is outside of the transmission medium and in proximity to an outersurface of the transmission medium.
 15. The coupler of claim 14, whereinthe predetermined orientation corresponds to an expected orientation ofwater droplet formation on the transmission medium.
 16. The coupler ofclaim 15, wherein the predetermined orientation corresponds to a bottomof the transmission medium.
 17. The coupler of claim 15, wherein theelectromagnetic field pattern has another local minimum at anotherazimuthal orientation about the transmission medium corresponding to atop of the transmission medium.
 18. The coupler of claim 15, wherein theelectromagnetic field pattern is bilaterally symmetrical.
 19. Thecoupler of claim 11, wherein the electromagnetic wave has a carrierfrequency within a microwave frequency band.
 20. A coupler comprising: atapered collar that surrounds an insulated wire; and a coaxial launcher,that surrounds at least a portion of the insulated wire, and guides anelectromagnetic wave to the tapered collar and wherein the taperedcollar couples the electromagnetic wave to be guided by the insulatedwire to propagate, without requiring an electrical return path, alongthe insulated wire via a non-fundamental wave mode having anelectromagnetic (EM) field pattern with a local minimum at an azimuthalorientation, and wherein the azimuthal orientation of the local minimumis aligned at a predetermined orientation with respect to the insulatedwire.